In 2005, the UNESCO General Assembly approved October 27 as the World Day for AV Heritage to raise awareness of the importance of AV documents as integral part of national identities and draw attention to the urgent need to protect them.

The Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Association has established a website to collect news about how the world will be celebrating the event, as well as information on significant AV documents worldwide as listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World (MOW) Programme Register. The theme for the 2010 World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is "Save and Savour Your AV Document - Now." Click here for the website.

Increasingly, our cultures are reflected through moving images – as news, entertainment, and historical artifact.  This year AMIA celebrates its 20th anniversary as an association of people dedicated to preserving those moving images. As part of our 20th Anniversary and in celebration of World Day for Audio Visual Heritage, AMIA launched its first short film competition. The challenge? To create a film or video that conveys the importance of preserving the world’s moving image heritage.

The winning entry is presented here to celebrate World Day for Audio Visual Heritage, and to celebrate AMIA's 20th Anniversary.

HIS FIRST DAY
Director/Writer: Brian Rose
Cinematographer: Brian Rose | Music by Josh Gumiela

Synopsis: This is the story of a kid who grew up watching "the flickers," who aspires to make movies, and has just landed his dream job on a 1930s studio lot. And on "His First Day" he has to help move dozens of reels of old film. Most would hate such menial labor, but he's thrilled! Yet he is soon to discover a harsh reality to life in show business, and before the day is out, will have to make a choice with serious consequences.

Inspiration for the Film: "His First Day" was inspired by the stories of dozens of films that would have been lost forever ... were it not for a few individuals who thoguht they were worth saving. My own work owes a huge debt tot he silent cinema, and I shudder to think what that work would be like, and what kind of person I would be, had someone not cared to save films like "The Passion of Joan of Arc" or practically anything by Buster Keaton. That is the ultimate message of my film: that one person's decision to save a single film can have an untold and lasting impact on generations of filmmakers and film lovers. The lesson is that we cannot make the choice for them, deciding which films they shall know, and which films they shall only read about. It is for their sake that every film that can be saved must be saved!

To see the Runner-Up, click here.

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October 27 has been declared by UNESCO as World Day for AV Heritage.

The audiovisual heritage comprises all forms of moving images and recorded sounds, separately or together, whether or not intended for public distribution, and regardless of the means of creation, preservation or delivery, or the personal or organizational nature of the custodian.  It further includes associated information, documents, objects, artefacts and technology, and graphical material selected in its own right.   They express a nation as a place and people.  Considered to be the documents most characteristic of the 20th and 21st centuries, the cultural influence and informational content of these documents are immense, and rapidly increasing. Transcending language and cultural boundaries, appealing immediately to the eye and the ear, to the literate and illiterate alike, they have transformed society by becoming a permanent complement to the traditional written record. Their content cannot be reduced to written form, and its integrity is closely tied to the format of its carrier – be it film, magnetic or optical media.  Because of its fragility, much have been lost and continue to be lost if no action is undertaken .

In 2005, the UNESCO General Assembly approved October 27 as the World Day for AV Heritage to raise awareness of the importance of AV documents as integral part of national identities and draw attention to the urgent need to protect them.

Since then the World observes this day every year by organizing activities around a theme agreed upon by the Coordinating Council of Audio-visual Archive Associations (CCAAA) - the UNESCO designated body to oversee its yearly celebration.

UNESCO World Day Website