Cinemateca Brasileira

These are sci-fi ideas, fantasy, and pure imagination. These are Ideas to engage people, not the usual public, to occupy the Cinemateca with their own agendas, and to make the Cinemateca a more diverse and open space:

1. The creation of a project similar to one at the Cineteca Nacional de Mexico: Archivo Memoria (“Memory Archive”), in which individuals can bring their 8mm, 9.5mm, and 16mm home movies to be cleaned, properly stored, and digitized, thus getting a copy back. For the Cinemateca Brasileira, I would expand this project to include work with VHS, DV, Hi8, DVD, and other domestic formats.

2. The implementation of a form on the Cinemateca’s website for collectives and associations to propose screenings and film-related events. Of course, one person among the Cinemateca’s team should be responsible for clearing film’ rights and making scheduling and screenings possible – having in mind a communal experience equipped with a great projection and sound system, but also providing infrastructure for outside groups.

3. The finalizing of an initiative to support institutions regarding Clima.CB, a climate control system of the humidity and temperature of the film vaults that works continuously online. This combination of open-source software and hardware was developed in 2017 but still needs testing.

4. The activation of partnerships with several archival institutions, which would include an interchange of digital copies and the training of staff.

5. The migration of the Filmografia Brasileira database to an open platform, enabling public engagement and growing the database of information proposed to the public, such as information regarding materials and versions of films, educational use, past screenings, etc. I believe the right tool could be Tainacan (which may be found at Tainacan.org).

6. The updating of the English-language Wikipedia page about the Cinemateca Brasileira, which contains multiple basic absurdities.

7. The welcoming of residents of neighboring low-income neighborhoods into the Cinemateca’s facilities and the partnering with organizations for frequent screenings in more geographically distant low-income neighborhoods.

8. The consolidation of a close relationship with universities, especially ECA/USP (the School of Communications and Arts at the University of São Paulo), via paid internships and research residencies. The investigation, gathering, digitization, and restoration of materials from all films (not only the most popular) from the Film School, whose archive is scattered and endangered. The promoting of research within the institution, as well as residencies and collaboration on articles by workers of the Cinemateca to be published in academic journals.

9. The publishing of public documents such as the Cinemateca’s annual mission statement, collection guidelines, and reports, none of which have been released publicly since 2017.

10. The creation of a place for passionate young people to grow within the institution by engaging them in every possible way – in public spaces, internships, and even in management positions within the institution.

11. The establishment of a diverse Cinemateca council which might more fully represent the diversity to be found within Brazil’s audiovisual field.

12. The promoting of archival initiatives in associations, including within geographically distant low-income neighborhoods. This would begin with the publication of directives and technical propositions, followed by the selection or election of individuals that are dedicated to supporting the relevant initiatives.

13. The harboring of refugees for training and work.

14. The processing external materials every once in a while.