The Croatian Cinémathèque was founded as a special department of the Croatian State Archives in 1979, on the bases of the Law of Croatian Cinematography.

Until today the Croatian Cinémathèque has collected 15.950.000 m of film materials (about 5.420 titles of feature films, short films and animated films).

In the next two years we plan to overtake another 8.000.000 m. The National film collection includes original film materials (1903-1970) and film copies (1903-1993) and about 1.400 titles of world film production (1979-1993). In this collection special value is given to the collection of amateur short films, feature, documentary and animated (made on old formats 9,5 mm and 8 mm standard) in the period between 1927-1941; then come special collections of educational films on medicine of the famous School for National Health "Andrija Stampar" (Skola narodnog zdravlja) from the same period, special collection of Croatian and foreign film reels and film actualities from the period 1930-1945 and special fond of animated films of Zagreb's Film School of Animation from 1956-1992.

Related film materials consist of the collection on film scripts and shooting books (2.448 titles), film posters (7.320 titles), photographs (42.290 pieces) and special collection of film museum exhibits (128 pieces).

The Croatian Cinémathèque systematically protects film fond by copying all film materials on the nitrate base (about 300.000 m) into the inflammable film track. We have developed a special treatment of transferring 9,5 and 8mm on 35mm film track (about 40.000 m). In this way the film fond, especially those made until 1940, has become accessible for presentation to all users and television.

The Croatian Cinémathèque has also a special film library (1840 titles) of Croatian and world film literature (books and journals).

For the last two years the Croatian Cinémathèque has been transferring film materials on video track for researchers and students of various universities.

There is a database of the complete film fond. Now we are working on a filmography of Croatian films.

The Croatian Cinémathèque with its database and its film fond and other collection helps to realise film projects concerning cultural and historical items.

The Croatian Cinémathèque, for the first time, organised a retrospective of the Croatian feature films (from 1945-1970) in 1983 and 1984. It also helped the presentation of Croatian films abroad and especially gave a great contribution in the realisation of the film encyclopaedia edited in 1990.

We initiated the founding of The Film Institute together with the Academy of Dramatic Art, Filmoteka 16, the Philosophical University and the Association of ciné clubs, with the basic aim to improve scientific approach to film and start with continuous editing of film books from our authors as well as through translation of the most important titles from all over the world.

On the international field the Croatian Cinémathèque has been taking part in the Regional Association of Alpe-Adria, the Film Festival in Pordenone, periodical contacts with the Slovenian Film Archive, the Macedonian Film Archive, Magyar Filmintezet in Budapest and the Oesterreichisches Filmarchiv in Vienna. We signed the Agreement of Collaboration between film institutes and film archives of Hungary, Poland, Rumania, Bohemia, Slovakia and Bulgaria.

Prof. Mato Kukuljica