FIAT/IFTA Executive Council meeting in London, March 17-18

The FIAT/IFTA Executive Council (EC) usually meets three times a year, in the middle of the spring and in connection with the annual World Conference (before and after). This year the the spring meeting, March 17-18, was kindly hosted by the British Film Institute - BFI in London. One reason for this meeting venue was the joint offer by BFI and BBC to host the World Conference year 2001. The prospect conference venue - the National Film Theatre at the Southbank - was checked out. Since FIAT/IFTA has been taking part in earlier events at this venue, like the JTS and the News Reel Conference, it was no surprise to finding it most suitable for a World Conference. The EC gratefully accepted the BFI/BBC offer to host the year 2001 World Conference.

The EC also decided to continue to explore the possibilities for a joint event with AMIA in North America year 2002 and world conferences in Asia for year 2003 or 2004.

Much of the EC meeting time was of course dedicated to the planning of the World Conference in Vienna this fall, but considerable time was spent on several future issues. Among them were further development of the member information via our web site and the member administration. There were also some discussion on the membership fee levels. Should they be more differentiated in the future and do they respond to the financial needs of FIAT/IFTA today, especially since they haven´t been raised in several years? The EC will recommend the General Assembly to stay at the present membership fee levels still another period, since the number of the new members has been promising lately.

There has been a discussion within FIAT for several years whether it is worthwhile continuing participating in the Round Table of Audiovisual Archives (today renamed CCAA) meetings. FIAT has repeatedly tried to make this forum more than just an annual solitary event, but since no practical result has come out of these meetings FIAT has now decided to withdraw from it. Part of the decision was also to continue developing the successful bilateral activities we have with organizations like IASA, FOCAL and AMIA.

About the Vienna Conference, it was decided that supporting members shall have a 50% reduction of the fee for exhibit space and be prioritized in placing of the exhibition. The primary exhibit area will be the entrance foyer of the Park Hotel Schoenbrunn.

Next EC meeting will be held in connection to the World Conference in Vienna, October 15th.

/Lasse Nilsson (ifta@svt.se)
Secretary General

The FIAT/IFTA EC meeting at the BFI National Film Theatre. Front left: President Peter Dusek Front right: Secretary General Lasse Nilsson Members of the EC Karl Maier, SWR; Serge Roth, TSR; Wolfgang Dehn, SWR; Alain Goossens, RTBF checking out the year 2000 venue National Film Theatre

Courtesy of BFI, the EC got the opportunity to see London from above from the giant Ferris Wheel "The London Eye" - one of the new attractions of London, close to the National Film Theatre. Parkhotel Schoenbrunn - the venue of this year´s FIAT/IFTA World Conference and General Assembly