Jugoslovenska Kinoteka (La Cinémathèque de Yougoslavie) was founded in 1949 and with its stock of over 80,000 film prints ranks among the best equipped and largest film archives in this part of the world. In the course of the forty-five years of its existence, the Jugoslovenska Kinoteka has also acquired a rich collection of documents, posters, photographs and various objects related to the development of cinematography on the soil of Yugoslavia as well as a large specialised library with over 18,000 volumes of books and magazines on cinema. In the burdensome conditions of the ongoing civil war on the territories of former Yugoslavia, the principal task of this institution is to keep and preserve this treasure of great cultural interest. The shortage of adequate working space for all activities (adequate storage space above all) as well as the insufficient financial support (subsidies from the State, grants, own income) make all functions even more difficult at this time of sanctions against Yugoslavia, which necessarily have had their impact on culture. The overall economic crisis has caused the funds to virtually dry up, which, in turn, has reduced the international contacts and film exchange to a minimum. Jugoslovenska Kinoteka is struggling, at present, to preserve, rather than to develop. Still, even in these conditions, some activities are kept alive.

The restoration of the national film heritage is in the focus of the activities. In the course of the past few years a number of valuable silent films shot on the territories of Serbia and Montenegro have been restored. These are films of outstanding cultural importance on both national and international scale. In view of the 100th anniversary of cinema, in spite of all the difficulties mentioned earlier, no effort is spared to keep the activities going. The oldest preserved film shot on the territory of ex-Yugoslavia - The Coronation of King Petar Karadjordjevic -, filmed in September 1904 by the British cameraman Frank S. Mottershaw, has been completely restored. A number of other important films shot between 1912 and 1913 have been restored, too, or are in the process of restoration, such as The Return of Serbian Victors (1913), The 550th Anniversary of the Battle in Kosovo (a documentary-feature film, 1939) etc. To these many other films can be added which are part of the national film heritage. It is unfortunate that - due to the mentioned difficulties - the restoration of some important foreign silent films, some of them rare or unique specimens (Italian and German) has to be continuously postponed. As some of them are still only on nitrate, there is a real threat that they might be permanently lost.

Public activities of Jugoslovenska Kinoteka are centred on the Centenary of Cinema celebration. This institution is the main initiator and factor of all activities connected with this event. The Centenary itself is given great importance: Television of Serbia and Jugoslovenska Kinoteka are preparing a (one year) series of quiz programme whose main theme will be one century of cinema. In the course of 1995 there will be repeated screenings of the most outstanding film creations. This, as a matter of fact, is meant to be a popular guide to film history. March 1994 was marked with the 100th anniversary of the year Slavko Vorkapich, the famous American film theorist of Serbian descent, was born. On April 14th 1994, the day Edison first presented his moving pictures in New York one hundred years ago, a selection of his films was shown in Jugoslovenska Kinoteka Film Museum Theatre in Belgrade. The earlier mentioned restored film The Coronation of King Petar Karadjordjevic was shown at a special screening on September 21st, 1994. This marked ninety years from the day the event took place and was filmed. In October 1994 the film material on the assassination of King Aleksandar Karadjordjevic in Marseilles (8th October 1934) was screened to mark 60 years from the event. A special programme is scheduled for October 25th, 1994 - the 150th anniversary of birth of Sarah Bernhardt. And on December 28th, 1994, "Sava Center" - the biggest hall in the city of Belgrade, which can seat three thousand people - will feature a special film screening under the title Enter the Century of Cinema. This is designed to be a homage to the early silent film. The cinema theatre of the Film Museum of Jugoslovenska Kinoteka has been the best filled cinema in the city of Belgrade in the course of the recent year, partly, of course, owing to the fact that now fewer new films are imported. There are daily screenings of a choice of either silent or sound films from the Film Archive of Jugoslovenska Kinoteka, to an audience of predominantly young people. The screenings of film classics are not confined only to this cinema theatre: Jugoslovenska Kinoteka is a frequent guest in other towns in Serbia, and is planning to step up these activities when we enter the year of the Centenary of Cinema.

Scientific and research activities of Jugoslovenska Kinoteka are done in close co-operation primarily with the Faculty of Dramatic Arts of the University of Arts of Belgrade, as well as with many other scientific institutions and individuals. The Film Archives of Jugoslovenska Kinoteka form a solid basis for research work, and projects which study the past of the Yugoslav and world cinema, are strongly encouraged. The Library of Jugoslovenska Kinoteka is open to researchers, university students and film enthusiasts. The present situation, however, has made it considerably more difficult to acquire new books and professional publications from abroad.

The publishing activities of Jugoslovenska Kinoteka are very much alive. Jointly with some private publishers in the course of 1993 up to September 1994 books on cinema were published, some of which are original works whereas others are reprints of earlier popular editions, such as Peter Bogdanovic's The Cinema of Alfred Hitchcock.

The international collaboration of Jugoslovenska Kinoteka with other similar institutions in the world is critically limited. In spite of the imposed restrictions, ties have not been broken with foreign film archives with which good co-operation used to exist, although a regular exchange of films is not possible. Ways are sometimes found to send required information to foreign film archives, and even prints of unique material in the possession of Jugoslovenska Kinoteka can be sometimes exchanged. Individual contacts between researchers from abroad and Jugoslovenska Kinoteka (and vice versa), not being subject to restriction, have proven extremely valuable. Jugoslovenska Kinoteka is making all efforts to maintain its activities in FIAF and to meet the obligations which it has as a regular member, also taking active part in the work of the organisation - in congresses, committees and in other forms. These are hard times for Jugoslovenska Kinoteka and the support FIAF has rendered, in the exchange of information primarily, is very precious and makes it possible for Jugoslovenska Kinoteka to continue its functions within the large body of film archives.

Dejan Kosanovic