Northern Ireland digital film archive seeks public submissions

NI Screen said the project aims to "address imbalances" in the Digital Film Archive

Northern Ireland Screen has made a public call for videos in order to make its Digital Film Archive more diverse.

Launched in 2000 as part of the British Film Institute's Millennium Project, it is a free, public access archive.

It contains hundreds of hours of film, spanning from 1897 to the present day.

NI Screen has asked for contemporary content to ensure the archive is "more accurate and representative" of life in Northern Ireland.

Mainly focused on Northern Ireland society, the archive also chronicles pre-partition Ireland.

It contains an array of genres including feature films, drama, sport, documentaries, news coverage and amateur footage.

However, Northern Ireland Screen said the archive lacks contemporary material related to several themes and communities.

These include more diverse religions; ethnic minorities; disabled and neurodivergent people; LGBTQ+ people; and those from working-class communities, especially young men.

Memes and viral videos

NI Screen said the Northern Ireland Now: Contemporary Collecting project aims to "prioritise content that showcases diversity and inclusion" and "address imbalances" in the archives.

"Outdated language and concepts found in older holdings will also be addressed to ensure the content is relevant, respectful and carries content warnings where applicable," a spokesperson added.

Launching the project, head of heritage and archive Francis Jones said it will better reflect "the diversity of life today".

"We're also embracing different types of contemporary content for the first time such as memes, viral videos, parodies and topical content," he said.

Elspeth Vischer from Northern Ireland Now pictured with, Francis Jones from NI Screen and Niall Kerr from the Nerve Centre

The project is being supported by the British Film Institute (BFI) and funds from the National Lottery.

Marta Berto, screen heritage fund manager, at the BFI described the project as a "significant step forward" in preserving the diverse narratives and experiences of life in Northern Ireland.

An outreach engagement programme is also being led by the Nerve Centre, in Londonderry, with groups contributing their voice to archive during sessions that will explore areas such as content curation, cataloguing, digital preservation and promotion.

"This project is a unique opportunity for interested groups to share their love of film and use the medium to enhance and better reflect their own backgrounds, in turn building a more cohesive view of modern society," said the Nerve Centre's head of heritage, Niall Kerr.

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Once submissions have been collected they will be catalogued and contextualised so they can be better understood by the public before being incorporated into the Digital Film Archive.

NI Screen has said knowledge acquired through the scheme will also help inform the Belfast Stories project - a new £100m visitor centre opening in 2029.

The Northern Ireland Now project will run until spring 2025.