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News
Conference with Director of the Film and Television Archive
at UCLA, Jan Christopher Horak
New York, September 9, 2008
 The Global Media Arts Institute (GMAI), an initiative of Global Foundation
for Democracy and Development (GFDD)
and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE),
organize the conference, “Audiovisual Archives in the Modern World:
Creation, Preservation and Historical Transcendence,” presented by Jan
Christopher Horak, Director of the Film and Television Archive at the
University of California, Los Angeles, September 4, 2008, at FUNGLODE
Headquarters in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
During the conference Horak discussed the history of film and television
archiving in the United States, as well as the challenges presently being
confronted by audiovisual archivists. Among the topics explored include:
• Archives as a means of preserving culture and history
• Importance of digital information preservation and access
• History of audiovisual archiving in the United States
• Historical debate concerning which information should and should not be
preserved
• Involvement of governments in establishing film and television archives
• Laws governing collecting
• Proper storage and humidity control
• Advantages and disadvantages of existing television and video formats
• Critical need for format migration
• Challenges presented by the rapid emergence and disappearance of
audiovisual formats
• Advancements in technologies related to computer storage capacity
 During his visit to the Dominican Republic, Jan Christopher Horak also met
with Director of the Pedro Mir Library at Universidad Autónoma Santo
Domingo, Nicolás Made Serrano; Director of the Cinematheque, Luís Rafael
González; Deputy Director of the National Archives, Luís Manuel Pucheo;
Minister of Culture, José Rafael Lantigua; Vice-Minister of Culture,
Alexander Santana; Film Commissioner for DINAC, Marlon Soto; and Director
Dominican National Radio and TV (CERTV), Hector Olivo, in order to develop a
better understanding of the types of materials being archived and the
strategies being employed to preserve them, and to present recommendations
for locating and acquiring audiovisual materials, and storing and preserving
archives. President Leonel Fernández also convened with Dr. Horak to commend
him for his interest in furthering the country’s archiving capacity and to
discuss methods by which to preserve and increase access to television and
film archives.
Jan Christopher Horak has extensive experience as a Film Archivist and
Curator. He has worked for institutions such as the Munich Film Museum,
Universal Studios and the Hollywood Entertainment Museum. Horak is also an
Author and the Founder of the journal, Making Images Move: Journal of the
Association of Moving Image Archivists. He has published over 200 articles
and reviews in eleven different languages. Horak is presently a Visiting
Professor and Director of the Film and Television Archive at the University
of California, Los Angeles. He is currently writing a book on Designer and
Filmmaker, Saul Bass.
GMAI is dedicated to providing up-and-coming professionals in the television
and film industry with comprehensive instruction in the latest trends in
audiovisual production, as part of its overall mission to expand the
multimedia industry of the Dominican Republic. The Institute seeks to play a
key role in the development of a highly qualified Dominican audiovisual
industry that significantly contributes to the economic development,
competitiveness and modernization of the nation.
GMAI regularly offers introductory, intermediate and advanced courses. It
also organizes events that promote greater understanding of the media arts,
such as conferences, screenings and interviews with filmmakers.
See biography
See CV
See Gallery of
Photos
Related link:
www.ucla.edu
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