These filmmakers have recorded our traditions, captured the events of the day, and expressed our ambitions. Their work is the collective memory of the twentieth century. As it ages, it decays. Film needs on-going care and attention if it is to continue to tell our story.
Film is history.
With every foot of film that is lost, we lose a link to our culture, to the world around us, to each other, and to ourselves. Already the losses are high. For shorts, documentaries, and independently produced works, we have no way of knowing how much has been lost. We do know that deterioration can be combated through proper storage, by copying older film onto modern film stock and by utilizing new preservation and access technologies.