The HKFA and the adjacent Island East Sports Centre were built as a complex. The unique designs of their exteriors reflect their distinct functionalities. The first thing which struck us once we stepped inside the Archive was that it had little resemblance to a traditional library. The high ceiling, colour scheme, signage and the posters on the walls all co-ordinate with the theme of the organization. The avant-garde furniture and bookcases and their arrangement are refreshing. Creativity is in the air and that is what the film industry is about. All these are the outcome of the hard work of the designer/librarian, Ms. Monique Shiu.
Dedicated to the preservation of Hong Kong's film heritage, the Archive first started operation in 1993, physically housed inside the Museum of History. It aims to collect and conserve films and related artefacts, provide public access facilities, and to facilitate research on the history of the local cinema. It also regularly conducts a wide variety of activities to promote Hong Kong film culture: retrospectives, exhibitions, seminars and tours. The Archive now holds 3,800 films. Some titles are as dated as an 1898 Edison travelogue on Hong Kong, and as recent as box-office hits of the 1990s. It has also acquired a considerable amount of rare film-related materials offering valuable information about the films, the industry and the society at large. Most of these materials were secured through donations and voluntary deposits. Some were acquired from overseas.
The HKFA is a four-storey permanent purpose-built home for our local film heritage, equipped with a 127-seat cinema and a 200-square metre exhibition hall. The net area of 7,200 square metres has two functional divisions. One side is dedicated to storing films and film-related materials, and is served by an independent air conditioning system with dehumidification and acid gaseous removal functions. The other side is used for screening, exhibitions, staff offices and other public access functions. The 300-square metre Resource Centre, located on the third floor, provides access to an interesting collection of books, magazines, newspapers and other publications. The public can also view the audiovisual materials in the viewing booths in the Centre for a fee. A multi-media cataloguing system HORIZON is employed to index the film collection and tens of thousands of film-related materials. The HKFA also publishes a number of publications, such as the Hong Kong Filmography and a quarterly newsletter.
Due to prolonged neglect, some prints and artefacts were damaged and need to be restored by the Conservation Section. The work requires meticulous examinations and a variety of professional treatments, such as colour restoration or removal of residual chemicals. A carefully controlled environment is vital to the preservation of the Archive's holdings. The vaults are optimally kept at 4 degree Celsius and a relative humidity of 35%.
The tour enabled us to have a close look at each section of the Archive. We learned some very interesting stories about the film industry on our way. The visit was originally scheduled for 2 ½ hours but it easily overran to 3 hours before we noticed it. I would like to thank Ms. Monique Shiu, Mr. Isaac Leung and Mr. Edward Tse for their time and exciting presentations.
Do visit the HKFA home page at http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/HKFA/index_flash.html