The Film Archive Forum represents all of the public sector film and television archives which care for the UK’s moving image heritage. It represents the UK’s public sector moving image archives in all archival aspects of the moving image, and acts as the advisory body on national moving image archive policy.
The Film Archive Forum (FAF) was established in 1987 with the object of fostering an informal network of British moving image archives. Four archives sent representatives to the first meeting, but the Forum now contains eleven institutional members, representing all the national and regional film archives of the UK. Full membership remains institutional, although others can be invited to attend Forum meetings as Observing Members. Current FAF Observer members are the British Library, the British Universities Film & Video Council (BUFVC), the Irish Film Institute, the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), The National Archives and the National Council on Archives.
The Forum takes an interest in all the archival aspects of the moving image. It has particular interest in the preservation of nitrate film, acetate film, and videotape; the training of archivists, acquisitions policy, standards for archives, copyright, co-operation with film laboratories, and contacts with foreign archives.