Journal of Film Preservation - FIAF

Toronto
Cinematheque Ontario/The Film
Reference Library
a Division of the Toronto International
Film Festival Group
Susan Oxtoby and Sylvia Frank
Cinematheque Ontario/The Film Reference Library was voted in as an
Associate of FIAF at the Congress held in Madrid (April 1999).
Becoming a member of FIAF has been a goal of the organization since its
inception in 1990, when the Toronto International Film Festival Group
took over the administration of the Ontario Film Institute (OFI) and
renamed it Cinematheque Ontario. Cinematheque Ontario/The Film
Reference Library was born out of the OFI. Founded in 1969 by Gerald
Pratley, the OFI developed the tradition of a year-round screening
programme and documentation centre mandated to promote the study
and appreciation of film culture.
The Film Reference Library has grown out of the wealth of materials
developed at the OFI - a collection partly modelled after the British Film
Institute. The Film Reference Library’s current holding consists of 13,000
monographs, 150 current periodical titles, 50,000 film files, 6,000
soundtracks, 12,0000 photographs, 8,000 posters, 120,000 film stills,
5,000 videos, and 1,200 film prints. In recent years, the Library has
acquired a number of impressive special collections : the Cinema Canada
collection; the David Cronenberg Collection; and the Atom Egoyan
Collection; and is a leading centre for the study of Canadian cinema. In
addition, the Library is the primary centre for documentation relating to
all programming activities of the Toronto International Film Festival
Group. Open to the public and fully computer automated, The Film
Reference Library fields requests from cinephiles, students, researchers,
film critics and industry professionals.
Cinematheque Ontario presents an ambitious, year-round screening
programme at the Art Gallery of Ontario’s 200-seats film theatre. Each
year over 50,000 viewers enjoy a diverse selection of more than 350
presentations which showcase classic and contemporary Canadian and
international cinema. Programmes concentrate on directors’ retrospectives,
national and regional cinema spotlights, thematically-curated
series and special events. Cinematheque Ontario’s programmers secure
new and rare archival prints so that audiences can see the great works of
world cinema under the best possible conditions. Cinematheque Ontario
publishes a quarterly programme guide which offers a critical and
historical context for the works shown. The programme guide is mailed
to the membership and to over 1,000 industry professional in Canada,
the US and overseas.
77 Journal of Film Preservation / 58/59 / 1999
La Cinémathèque d’Ontario
Fondé en 1969 par Gerald Pratley,
l’Ontario Film Institute (OFI) a développé
une tradition du programme itinérant et a
créé un centre de documentation. Ces deux
activités ont pour but de promouvoir l’étude
et la diffusion de la culture
cinématographique. Ainsi furent créés la
Cinematheque Ontario et son centre de
documentation et d’archives, la Film
Reference Library, qui, dès 1990, furent
placés sous la responsabilité administrative
du Toronto International Film Festival
Group.
La Film Reference Library conserve et gère
les collections constituées par l’OFI, d’après
un modèle inspiré du British Film Institute.
Ces fonds comportent aujourd’hui quelques
13.000 monographies, 150 périodiques,
50.000 dossiers de cinéma, 6.000 bandes
sonores, 150 périodiques, 50.000 dossiers de
cinéma, 6.000 bandes sonores, 12.000
photographies, 8.000 posters et près de
1.200 copies de films. Ces dernières années,
la Library a acquis un nombre
impressionnant de collections spéciales : la
collection Cinema Canada, le Fonds Atom
Egoyan, la Collection David Cronenberg,
etc. La Library est également le principal
centre de documentation des activités de
programmation du Toronto Film Festival
Group. Ouverte au public, elle répond aux
besoins des cinéphiles, étudiants, chercheurs,
critiques et professionnels de l’industrie.