Audiovisual archive for NE region comes up in Shillong

An archive aimed at preserving the rich audiovisual productions of the Northeastern region has been inaugurated at a college here.

Documentary films, newsreels, interviews, amateur footage, sound recordings and photographs related to the states of the region are available in analogue and digital formats in the archive located at the St Anthony's College, project director Nathaniel Majaw said.

The Northeast India Audiovisual Archive can also be accessed online at www.nearchive.in.

"The Archive endeavours to be more than just a storehouse of nice trinkets of novelty. It will hopefully... be a significant repository of our legacy, and means of collecting knowledge and documenting history," Majaw told PTI.

He said individuals, organisations and institutions can access the materials available in the archive and also contribute to it.

Supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) of Japan, the archive will also be working in collaboration with Japan's Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival for their expertise, Majaw said.

The SPF carries out a range of programmes aimed at promoting international understanding, exchanges and cooperation.

At the inaugural function of the archive on Thursday, SPF president Shuichi Ohno said the Foundation has been conducting a project entitled "Preserving and Sharing Histories and Memories of Northeast India" to last over the next three years and more.

"We aim at supporting cultural activities that allow local communities to preserve and share their experiences and history. Obviously, this Northeast India Audiovisual Archive is one of the most significant initiatives and today is really an epoch-making day for us," he said.

Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival (YIDFF) board member Fujioka Asako also expressed her greeting and best wishes to the archive through a video message.