About the KOFA History Organization Scope of Work Visiting Us	Home  >  KOFA  >  About the KOFA Acquisition With its aim to have a complete collection of moving image materials, the Archive has committed itself to collecting all film-related material available including motion pictures, scripts/screenplays (scenarios), stills, posters, leaflets, video/audio copies, film books, and filming equipment by means of donations, commissions, and copies. The Archive is promoting the development of film culture and is also creating a favorable environment for academic research by collecting classic movies as well as new ones. Preservation        As the value of moving image materials as a cultural heritage increases day by day, proper preservation in addition to acquisition has become an inevitable cultural enterprise. In particular, film materials, highly vulnerable to external circumstances, are easily affected not only by complex environmental factors such as light, temperature, and humidity, but also by the lapse of time. If left exposed to these environmental factors, film develops "vinegar syndrome" followed by chemical changes such as color fading and erosion, along with physical changes such as warping, swelling or shrinking.. Once chemically and physically damaged, film loses its value as a cultural heritage. Therefore, a scientific and efficient strategy of preservation and management of collected materials is crucial. To this end, the Archive has installed thermo-hygrostats in each film vault so as to maintain the optimum preservation environment. Furthermore, it is making an effort for permanent preservation of moving image materials as cultural heritage by restoring obsolete or damaged materials and by discovering missing materials. The Archive will facilitate the effort by the help of new technologies and state-of-the-art equipment. At the same time, it will ceaselessly research and apply the world's latest advanced technologies to progress in the field of moving image material preservation. Deposit System For the national-level preservation of our precious moving image cultural heritage, the deposit regulation on films was included in the Film Promotion Act, and became effective for domestic motion pictures in July 1996 and for foreign films in May 2002. The Archive hopes that all individuals concerned with the film industry who are in charge of production, importation, or distribution have full knowledge of the deposit regulation and expects their active cooperation. Digitalization Stepping into the 21st century digital era, the Korean Film Archive has consistently promoted the digitalization of moving image materials since 1991 to provide a variety of cultural and historical materials in the most vivid way, along with efforts to continuously seek better preservation methods. .Given that moving image materials, including films, possess a high probability of turning to dust with the passing of time, and given that once damaged there is no chance of restoration, digitalization makes possible the permanent preservation of media heritage and allows the public easier access to multimedia content, leading to expanded reproduction of media culture and the development of regional culture. Database building is ongoing, some of which is available on the Archive's web site. Materials now available on the site include: production information of domestic films, posters, stills from 1919 to the present; biographical information on actors, actresses, directors, and animators; previews of domestic films; and documentaries of cinema experts produced by the Archive. Additionally, for the purpose of systematic management and scientific preservation of existing materials, the Archive is working on converting these into digital format as part of its successful restoration work. .Aiming to realize a 'One Source Multi-Use' information infrastructure, the Archive is making strenuous effort to establish an integrated service system as a comprehensive moving image information center with an advanced and scientific foundation for preservation through digitalization. It also plans to gradually build a digital archive. Cinematheque Movement The Cinematheque Movement, which started in 1991 during the "Year of Drama and Films," is a small-scale film movement initiated by the Korean Film Archive. The movement has greatly contributed to heightening public media awareness by linking past and present and making people recognize that films are an important part of culture. Countries with advanced film industries have fostered sound media culture and created unique genres in the field through this movement. In an effort to enhance the public's awareness and understanding of film culture, the Korean Film Archive has been running an exclusive cinematheque theater since 2001 sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Korean Film Commission where people can watch high-quality artistic films. .Both in its own building and in the Seoul Art Cinema in Sogyeokdong, the Archive offers a wide range of films from those by Fritz Lang to David Lynch and from those which fall under the category of expressionism to cult favorites, providing people with rare opportunities to overcome the limitations of time and space and appreciate and discuss excellent classic artistic films from all over the world as well as Korea. Cinema on Wheels           'Cinema on Wheels' is a film tour designed to contribute to the development of the Korean film industry by providing more cultural benefits to people living in rural or isolated regions by showing them quality films. Cinema on Wheels not only shows acclaimed movies but also raises cinema awareness for those who have fewer chances to watch films. At the same time, it creates a venue where people can promote harmony and solidarity. To run this program, the Archive is fully equipped with mobile screening tools - vehicles, 35mm projectors, and air screens. The screening schedule is made based on the requests from each regional community. .Cinema on Wheels is contributing both to the revitalization of regional culture and to the development of the Korean film industry by sharing our films with people across the country. Discovery of Hometowns of Films The 'Discovery of Hometowns of Films' program has been operating under the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Korea Racing Association, and the Korea Tourism Organization. The program is to search for location sites with historical significance in Korean film history and to build monuments at the sites where considerable features from past filming remain and which are thought to be worth remembering. Through this activity, the Archive sheds new light on film classics, people's memories of which are fading, and provides opportunities to visit the location sites. The films selected by 'Discovery of Hometowns of Films' are those which fit the following criteria: first, those of which film prints still exist; second, films whose artistic values have been recognized through winning domestic or international film awards; third, those films which are representative works of the time, and/or which drew an overwhelming response from the audience. Films whose location sites are well preserved were favored over those whose past location sites have lost most of their old traces due to rapid changes. The aims of this program are: first, to discover and preserve historical location sites; second, to renew the public's interest in Korean classic motion pictures; third, to develop regional tourist resources and thereby to revitalize the local economy by developing the location sites into new tourist attractions; fourth, to collect and utilize information on location sites. Education As part of its educational purpose, the Korean Film Archive holds Summer Film Courses for adolescents where they can learn how to properly appreciate films as well as learn some basic production skills. Additionally, it also runs educational programs for adults such as workshops on filming independent movies and other training courses at educational institutions. International Exchanges The FIAF, founded in 1938 in Paris, France, is an international body consisting of organizations and institutions that preserve and manage moving image materials from all over world as cultural heritage as well as historical material. Since its foundation, the Federation has been serving as a mediator for close cooperation between important archives of different countries to preserve and utilize them under proper conditions. FIAF affiliates acquire, restore, exhibit, and screen all domestic films and related materials. The Korean Film Archive, a regular member of FIAF, exchanges information on film material collection, preservation, restoration, and programs with other affiliated archives. The Archive also participates in annual international symposia and workshops of the FIAF General Assembly, where it gains new information on the preservation of film materials and reinforces its bond with individuals and groups involved with other archives from around the world to bring forth a variety of joint projects. The Association of Asian Film Archives (AAFA), established in 2001, has facilitated exchanges in the region. In April 2002, the 58th FIAF General Assembly was held in Seoul for the first time in Asia. The Archive not only introduces foreign films to Korea but also has had Korean films screened at archives in other countries. Publications The Archive published the quarterly "Journal of Film & Culture" as a medium to provide accurate information on the Korean film history. The specialized film magazine covered activities of archives from around the world on the preservation of film materials and the construction of a complete film history, leading to film technology improvement. It also reviewed and rediscovered Korean films. (The magazine was discontinued in the winter of 2002) Documentary Production Documentary production at KOFA began in 1997 and in 2004, it was divided into two categories: 'planned documentary production' and 'testimonies by senior cinema experts.' Produced by KOFA, 'planned documentary production' aims to make documentaries about the Korean film history. In 2004, the Archive produced four highly accomplished documentaries by a selected team of documentary professionals. With freedom of topics on the Korean film history, they depicted different fields: film, the academy, and broadcasts. The Archive will continue its effort to produce more documentaries on a wider scope of topics organized by year, regional film history, and senior cinema experts. By so doing, KOFA will reorganize Korean film history in a systematic manner, thereby establishing its identity. Film Reference Library The film reference section inside of the Archive is a place where active use of materials and re-creation of film culture take place. It is a film data bank available to all: students, historians, critics, directors, and film fans. The library stores a tremendous number of informative material including domestic and foreign videos, books, periodicals, and screenplays. Through its cataloging and computerizing process, the library is establishing itself as a trustworthy data bank.