This space is a proposal and an invitation to reflect on concepts such as film memory and the film archive through round tables and various events. In recent years, the role and use of film archives, as well as the research work conducted in them, have grown in importance. This is due to the expansion of knowledge about film collections and the increasing recognition of the fundamental role they play in understanding the present. Today, when many things quickly become obsolete, both in material and in symbolic terms, the film archive remains, however, relevant and valuable. Working with our film heritage is of great importance, since it reinterprets us and connects us to the present. It also helps us understand how we relate to the past and, based on this understanding, think about the future.

For all these reasons, Seminci is committed to generating forums for discussion and research that continue to address these issues. Last year’s edition of this event focused on the preservation of film heritage and its exhibition venues. The director of the Filmoteca de Catalunya, Esteve Riambau, was in charge of moderating the two panels, which included the participation of representatives from the Cinémathèque Suisse, the Filmoteca Española, the Cinemateca Portuguesa, the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), Cannes Classics, the Cinémathèque Française, the Cineteca di Bologna and Hungarian National Film Archive.

Coinciding with their at the festival to present their films, directors Alexander Horwath (‘Henry Fonda for President’) and Kamal Aljafari (‘A Fidai Film’), and the producer of ‘The Invasion’, Maria Baker-Choustova, will take part in the round table ‘Recovering History. Making films with the Film Archive’, chaired by the member of Seminci’s selection committee Carolina Martínez. They will highlight the valuable, almost archaeological work of recovering forgotten or lost film materials from the past in order to shed light on current issues. The fest section Film Heritage in the 21st Century seeks a continuous exploration, during successive editions, of topics such as the film archive, its preservation, and the living memory of cinema, with the ultimate aim of generating ever richer discussions and findings around these themes.