We have our 12 volunteer film archivists of all ages lined up to receive their training at Huntley Film Archives at Ewyas Harold this Wednesday. They’ll be taught how to catalogue films so that researchers are able to retrieve the material they need from the database. They will go away clutching DVDs of archive material from the Huntley vaults to view and catalogue at home. Eagerly anticipating what they will come up with. A visual clue?
Interested in history? Keen to get involved? Flicks in the Sticks and Huntley Film Archives are calling for volunteer film archivists within Herefordshire and South Shropshire for REWIND, an exciting new project that will bring unseen documentary film footage from the 20th century to new audiences.
Supported through the Heritage Lottery Fund, the project will give 10 to 12 volunteers the opportunity to learn how to catalogue films at a training day at Huntley Film Archives in Ewyas Harold, South Herefordshire. Each of newly-fledged film archivists will be given a DVD of films from the collection to view and catalogue at home.
Material for up to 15 special screenings will be then selected from their shortlists. The archive film events are to take place in a variety of locations spread over the two rural counties and will be introduced by a guest speaker.
To add depth to the experience, local organisations from playgroups to day care centres and from youth clubs to WIs will be invited to explore the themes of the archive film programmes through reminiscence, displays, exhibitions and other parallel activities. With members of the local community offering their own take on the past REWIND promises a series of truly memorable events.
A quantity of the films will be transferred to high-quality DVD with voice-over narration and toured more extensively, opening this unique archive material up to thousands more people. Copies will also be lodged with museums, libraries, schools and archives, making this an invaluable resource for future generations.
For more information and an application form please contact Jo Comino, REWIND development worker, by Tuesday 15 June. Applicants must be aged 18 or over.
