In 2021, with the collapse of the Islamic Republic and the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, the archives documenting previous decades were threatened. Yousuf Jan Nesar, camera operator under Massoud’s command, was forced to flee from Kabul with his family. With the support of INA – a long-term partner since 2002 – and of the French Embassy, he was also able to evacuate his audiovisual collections made of videos recorded since 1986. In July and August 2021, INA recovered the collection – made of 7 trunks of mini DV, betacam, VHS, Audio cassettes, Hi8, DVCam – to be kept in its premises in France.

In June 2023, to ensure the long-term preservation of and access (for research, education, cultural, audiovisual and news production) to the collection, Yousuf Jan Nesar and INA decided to launch a preservation project, including the storage, cataloguing, digitisation and documentation of the whole collection, based on the collaboration between several partners : Y. Jan Nesar, INA, the ALIPH Foundation and the mobilisation of all INA technical departments.

To do so, a specific and adapted organisation and technical process had to be designed and implemented to be able to manage the collection. Indeed, despite Yousuf Jan Nesar own knowledge of his collection, it arrives at INA with very few information: no precise volume, no explanation of its organization, no information on the carriers, no metadata. Furthermore, Y. Jan Nesar only speaking Persian and the collection content and few metadata being in Persian, the work organisation required to be adapted to collaborate with Y. Jan Nesar and to process the collection. As the collection is processed, it is also discovered, gradually accumulating technical and content / documentary knowledge.

A difficult challenge for a project of exemplary value. The collaboration of teams with different skills resulted in valuable unique digital collection, which was in a serious risk of loss situation.

To achieve full and easy access to the large TV-collection in the ORF Multimedia Archives it was decided to digitize/migrate all 300.000 hours kept on IMX and Digi-Beta in one large project (which was divided in three stages for better control).

After a successful tender in late 2015 the project started in late 2016 with a foreseen overall end in late 2025. The main “Facts & Figures” of the project are:

• Overall amount: 300.000 hours of TV-content (stored on both IMX and Digi-Beta; in total ~ 600k cassettes) are migrated to MXF D10 Op1a files
• Main service-provider and contractor is ATOS IT Solution & Services GmbH; main technical provider is NOA
• The Final Phase started in early 2023 ( ~ 60.000 hrs)

A well defined project, with tangible results, demonstrating a long term vision regarding preservation concerns. A robust workflow, including multiple stages of quality control, thanks to the good collaboration between ORF and their service providers.

The audiovisual French services collection of Radio-Canada is distributed across 18 sites throughout Canada. This collection, considered a national treasure, is one of the ten largest in the world, covering the archives of the public broadcaster from 1936 to the present day. It includes over 665,000 assets to digitize, including SD and HD video tapes, optical discs, DVDs, soundtracks, RDATs, acetate discs, audio tapes, CDs, and films, some of which are unpublished. These assets are associated with over 2,000,000 records cataloged in 13 databases, highlighting the scope and diversity of this collection. Digitizing these archives presents a significant logistical and technical challenge, also considering the supplier is in the United States. However, it is essential for preserving this exceptional audiovisual heritage and making it accessible to current and future generations.

We developed a tracking tool for asset selection and batch creation, assigning also a single ID to each item. We managed this initiative during the Radio-Canada move and the construction of warehouses. We also went ahead with the digitization project during a MAM implementation context.

By digitizing the Radio-Canada archives, all production teams will benefit from access via a centralized digital platform (MAM), thus creating new opportunities for programming and archive sales. This project will also ensure the longevity of archival content in the face of the increasing obsolescence of analog equipment. Finally, establishing a file migration process will ensure the continuous preservation of files while minimizing risks associated with technological obsolescence.

A project with high level of ambition, well defined and described, with tangible results. The large scale was challenging and required good collaboration among various teams within the organisation.

The Radio-Canada Archives team unlocks our archives by producing and publishing content on a daily basis. We are connecting with different audiences using audiovisual archives and opening up this heritage, especially for young people.

Within a public broadcaster, Radio-Canada’s Archives department is an example of extraordinary dynamism and a global leader in the production of archival content. The team has developed a strategy to seize every opportunity to connect with diverse audiences. We have been proactive over the years to move forward by creating different pilot projects. Our strategy aims to integrate within the production teams by different means to collaborate with them and suggest initiatives and content to highlight. The outstanding results justified additional funding for the original archival production.

Today, the credibility and quality of our production means that we have a production team and an editorial voice. We are very proud of the great diversity of content produced, available on various platforms. These include:

• articles
• vertical videos
• thematic capsules
• full-length interviews
• digital photo stories
• quizzes
• youth capsules with motion design
• productions with a youtuber
• podcasts with guests
• a video creation workshop with teenagers in a public library
• an event to mark World Audiovisual Heritage Day and
• collaboration with Radio-Canada’s editorial teams.

Our approach is innovative and could inspire other broadcasters to diversify production on all platforms through content production and events.

While we cannot reinvent archive footage, we can reimagine how it is presented to diverse audiences. Radio Canada’s exceptional project provides a prime example of how to disseminate archive material across multiple platforms, reaching various target groups. Whether it’s video content for television or social media, or audio material for radio or podcasts, their approach is truly versatile. The archive footage has been repurposed for radio and TV shows, quizzes, karaoke events, and has been used to engage both older and younger generations, even inspiring the latter to become content creators themselves. The jury noted the multifaceted activities, all conceived and initiated by the archives team at Radio Canada, in collaboration with other editorial departments. This robust strategic initiative demonstrates that archive footage remains relevant and impactful for all generations, both now and in the future.

‘The Story of Doctor Who from the Archives’ is an innovative, digital hub allowing audiences to delve deeper into Doctor Who’s history than ever before. Launched in November 2023 as the companion to the Doctor Who back-catalogue on iPlayer, it brings the BBC’s archive collections together for the first time, across television, images, documents, music and radio, to create a unique 360 perspective with contemporary resonance for today’s audience. Collectively, they tell the story of the ground-breaking series beginning with 60 archive gems for the 60th anniversary.

Much of the BBC’s Doctor Who archive has been commercially available in DVD and Blue Ray content, but the archive as a whole has never been brought together in this way before. It’s the first Doctor Who archive curation for all audiences, freely and permanently available on a public service digital platform, enabling fans and new audiences to immerse themselves in the story of Doctor Who, whilst also connecting them to the wealth of BBC content across iPlayer and BBC Sounds. It features curated journeys through the archive to bring the show’s extensive history to life using everything from interviews with cast to production memos, long unheard audio, and behind-the-scenes photos; bbc.co.uk/doctorwho.

“The Story of Doctor Who from the Archives” is a comprehensive digital offering from the BBC that delves into the rich history of the long-standing, globally recognised science fiction series. It features a complete archive collection, images, behind-the-scenes photos, documents, radio broadcasts, and previously unheard music, all narrating the journey of this 60-year-old groundbreaking television programme, one of the most significant drama brands of all time. The jury was impressed by the intricate multimedia content and noted that the content-rich project could appeal to audiences beyond just Dr. Who fans, underscoring that fiction isn’t a minor or trivial part of the archives. This project serves as an exceptional interdisciplinary model for celebrating anniversaries and leveraging archival material.

BFI Replay is the culmination of a 5 year UK-wide digitisation and preservation programme to save the UK’s most at risk videotape collections and make them accessible to the public, via a free digital video streaming service exclusively available in UK public libraries. BFI Replay brings the nation’s audiovisual heritage into the heart of local communities.

BFI Replay is a vast and ambitious project with a clear goal: to bring archived content to the broadest possible audience through free library networks across the UK. This logistically challenging initiative is the culmination of a five-year nationwide digitisation and preservation program, aimed at saving the UK’s most endangered videotape collections. For the first time, 60 years of television treasures are made accessible to the public in a user-friendly way, specifically designed for audiences who have little or no knowledge of their audiovisual heritage. The jury highly commended the excellent level of curation, the substantial work in rights clearances and copyright collaboration with various copyright holders, and the appealing design of the search tools. This is public access to archive collections at its finest!

The documentary series ‘Godforsaken’ features in four episodes twenty Belgian men and women who were abused and mistreated as children by a Catholic priest or father. The survivors and their family members are interviewed and they are followed in their search for recognition.

The high-profile documentary series had caused an unprecedented emotional shockwave in Belgium. The victims’ stories led to many angry reactions from viewers, a massive number of debaptisms, and even to a parliamentary committee of inquiry. An answer from the Pope of the Catholic Church has still not been forthcoming.

In addition to the compelling and courageous testimonies in the series, no fewer than 523 archive fragments confront those responsible with their words. This archival footage was a crucial and vital element of storytelling to unveil the truth.

Godforsaken is a four-part documentary series that follows the victims of sexual abuse in Belgium’s Catholic Church as they fight for recognition. In this documentary series, archive footage is combined with interviews in the present day. The viewer is taken on a journey following a timeline of events, providing a clear sense of the perceptions and feelings at each stage in the victims’ journey. The jury felt that the archive was skilfully used to evoke those feelings, with a strong narrative development which was very well conceived. This documentary reminded us of the importance of historical documents, including audio-visual records, as more than a resource to illustrate a story and recognised that they often ARE the story and the witnesses to the truth, offering validation, evidence and authenticity. The documentary used a broad range of archive sources and the jury recognised that this was a high profile legal case which will have led to complexities and significant challenges when clearing the archive and presenting the context of the story. The jury praised the sensitive editing of the documentary and how the archive materials were used in creative ways.

A detective podcast about six important and great figures from the rich history of Czech television. Two historians and archivists explore the turbulent lives of famous directors, managers, entertainers and TV presenters. The series offers an entertaining and exciting look not only at the personalities themselves, but also at the history of television as a powerful medium. The authors take advantage of the fact that research on the first 40 years of television overlaps with research on communist regime, and use the stories of the personalities to show how important a role television played in the history of our country under socialism and afterwards. They use archival AV and written sources as the basis for their investigation, supplemented by new interviews, engaging music and passages narrated by well-known Czech actors.

In six forty minutes long episodes, historians and archivists Jakub Hošek and Jakub Adamus, who accompany the show, reveal the fates of director Jindřich Fairaizl, TV program announcer Miloš Frýba, TV presenter Kamila Moučková, Czechoslovak Television CEO Jiří Pelikán, screenwriter Vladimír Škutina and legendary presenter of programs for children Štěpánka Haničincová. The podcast Behind the Scenes: Kavčí hory, which was initiated by the Czech TV archive, was released on all platforms of Czech television in May 2023.

Behind the Scenes: Kavčí hory  is a detective podcast about six important and great figures from the rich history of Czech television, with two historians and archivists exploring the turbulent lives of famous directors, managers, entertainers and TV presenters. The archive is supplemented by new interviews, music and passages narrated by well-known Czech actors. The jury felt that this was an innovative way to use audio archive materials to evoke memories, present stories of the different characters & often controversial topics and show the history of television as a powerful medium. It was felt to be a flagship example of how TV broadcasters and TV archives may handle and investigate their own history and to attract younger and older listeners to look at their history through a popular medium.