Collection Guide
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Pacific Film Archive Film and Video Collection
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Title: Pacific Film Archive film and video collection
Dates: 1894-Present
Collection number: Consult the archive
Collector:
Pacific Film Archive
Collection Size:
The PFA film and video collection includes more than 10,000 films and 5,000 videos made from 1894 to the present.
Repository:
UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
Berkeley, CA 94720-2250
Abstract: The Pacific Film Archive was conceived as an American version of the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris—a center committed not
only to exhibiting films under the best possible conditions, but also to increasing the understanding, appreciation, and preservation
of cinema through its study center, collections, and publications. The Pacific Film Archive houses over 15,000 films and videos,
including the largest collection of Japanese films outside of Japan, as well as impressive holdings of Soviet silents, West
Coast avant-garde cinema, seminal video art, rare animation, Eastern European and Central Asian productions, and international
classics.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Japanese
Chinese
Russian
Georgian
Contact the PFA Library at (510) 642-1437 to arrange research screenings of films and videos in the collection. Screening
facilities include a ten-seat screening room for 16mm, 8mm, video, laserdisc, and DVD formats. Flatbed viewing tables which
can accommodate no more than two people are available for 16mm and 35mm. Screenings take place on-site only, during the normal
library operating hours of Monday through Wednesday, 1 to 5 p.m. All screening appointments must be made at least two weeks
in advance.
Due to copyright restrictions, film and video from the PFA collection may not be reproduced. The PFA collection is available
for private research use within the parameters of the Fair Use clause of the U.S. Copyright Act; contact library staff for
more information.
Pacific Film Archive film and video collection. UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA 94720-2250.
PFA's collection grows primarily through donation, including both financial support for acquisitions and gifts of films and
videos. Distributors, filmmakers, fellow archives, and private collectors have all made significant contributions. Grant-funded
preservation projects yield archival masters and new prints and videotapes, which ensure that works in the collection will
survive for future generations.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Pacific Film Archive was conceived as an American version of the Cinematheque Francaise in Paris—a center committed not
only to exhibiting films under the best possible conditions, but also to increasing the understanding, appreciation, and preservation
of cinema through its study center, collections, and publications.
PFA's film and video collection includes over 15,000 works in all gauges and formats. These include 35mm, 16mm, 8mm and super
8mm film; video in multiple analog and digital formats (Betamax, VHS, 3/4" U-Matic, DVD, laserdisc, Beta-SP, digital Betacam,
etc.) and standards (NTSC, PAL, SECAM). Collection strengths include Japanese films, Soviet silents, West Coast avant-garde
cinema, seminal video art, rare animation, Eastern European and Central Asian productions, and international classics. The
collection contains primarily positive viewing copies, most of which are available for on-site study use by appointment.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Film and culture
San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.)
Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.)
History of California