In memory of Anatoly Vystorobets

On February 20th, 2003, Anatoly Vystorobets died in Moscow from a heart attack. He was the Director of the Russian Archives, the Gosteleradiofond, a member of the FIAT/IFTA Executive Council and of the Training Commission. Emmanuel Hoog, on behalf of all FIAT/IFTA members, expresses his sadness and sympathy. Anna Nikitina, Anatoly's close colleague in Gosteleradiofond, and his English voice in FIAT/IFTA meetings, reminds us of his professional career. Branko Bubenik who encouraged Anatoly to join FIAT/IFTA, and his friend, recalls their common memories.

Letter to Anna Nikitina

Dear Anna,

On behalf of all FIAT members, I want to express to you and to Mrs Ivanova Valentina Petrovna our deepest sympathy in such very distressing and unexpected circumstances.

Anatoly made a most valuable contribution to international cooperation. For the first time Russian archives took an active part in FIAT development, fostering mutual cooperation between Western and Eastern European countries and within the former USSR regions.

I hope that Gosteleradiofond will continue Anatoly's work in FIAT. For my part, I would like to stress FIAT determination that the work Anatoly had begun in helping CEI archives will continue in his memory.

Best regards,

Emmanuel Hoog
26th February 2003

Anatoly Ivanovitch Vystorobets

Anatoly Vystorobets was born in May 5th, 1940.

In 1967, he graduated from the Russian State Film Institute. In 1976, he received the degree of Doctor of Arts.

From 1967, he worked in the State Broadcasting Committee of the Soviet Union and progressed from an editor, Head of department, to Main editor of programs of the Central Soviet Union Television and Main editor of literary-dramatic programs of the Central Soviet Union Radio.

In 1991-1992, he was Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Broadcasting Company.

From December 1995, he was appointed Director of the State Fund of Television and Radio programs - Gosteleradiofond.

He joined the FIAT/IFTA Training Committee in 1999. As a host, he organized the regional East-European seminar in Moscow in May 2001. At the same time, he was co-opted to the FIAT/IFTA Executive Council.

He was a member of the Union of Soviet / Russian Journalists since 1981.

He is the author of two books - Evgeny Andricanis (about the creative activity of the cameraman and film director E. Andricanis) and Sergey Bondarchuk : Life and films (about the creative activity of the great Soviet film director Sergey Bondarchuk) - and fifteen television films screenplays.

He died on February 20th, 2003 in Moscow.

Anna Nikitina
7th March, 2003

It happened in Paris ...

In memoriam dear friend Anatoly, by Dr Branko Bubenik

Anatoly Vystorobets and Branko, at the Moscow seminar

In Paris, in a little hotel near the Arc de Triomphe, in Spring 1999, I met for the first time Anatoly Vystorobets.

We were participants of the international conference "Red Archives". In his room, along with Russian caviar and vodka, we came to the conclusion that we were born in Spring of the same year - 1940. We remembered our chilhood in war and our love of Pushkin, Eisenstein, Bondarchuk ... and also our work on film and television, up to the present time in AV archives.

The same evening, I impressed Anatoly with my archival philosophy : "Archivists are Immortal ! They fight against the greatest force in Universe - Entropy ! They connect past, present and future like a bridge. After their physical death they live in the future, together with the documents they have preserved, similar to parents who live in their children."

In Autumn 1999, Anatoly got involved in membership and work for the Training Commission of FIAT/IFTA. A Slavic quadrilateral - Russia, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Croatia - together with Jacqui Gupta from the BBC, at its historic first meeting in the snowy Rodopi Mountains, in Pamporovo, gave birth to the main ideas, goals, and plans for professional training of audiovisual archivists in the world. The basic idea was to establish a world regional net for the professional education of audiovisual archivists.

It was soon followed by a big success in Moscow : the FIAT/IFTA regional seminar for audiovisual archivists of Eastern Europe and Central Asia in 2001.

In the next year 2002, we realized a regional seminar for audiovisual archivists of Northern Africa in Tunis.

In November of the same year Anatoly began the foundation of the big and important "Euro-Asian Association of audiovisual Archives" in Moscow. In the beginning of this year, Anatoly and I began preparations for a regional seminar for audiovisual archivists of Central Asia, which will be held at the end of the year, in Alma Ata in Kazakhstan.

Then an electronic flash on the screen of my computer reports : Anatoly died, he is here no longer !

Immediately, in my thoughts, I go back to Paris in the pre-Christmas time of last year. I parted with Anatoly and his wife, and invited them on summer holidays in my house on the island Lastovo, in the middle of the Adriatic sea.

In Paris we met and left each other.

Only memories are remaining of the great man and dear friend.

Anatoly, we will meet soon and again in Elysium !

Branko Bubenik
26th February, 2003

The Training Commission at work in London. From left to right : Viera Gregorova and a colleague, Wahid Braham, Branko Bubenik, Anatoly Vystorobets, Anna Nikitina