Learning from the Keepers. Archival Training in Italian Cinematheques

An alternative film history could be written by film archives, which let cinema tell its stories in a new way, through the relationship among cultural establishments. In Italy wide access policies have not always been the standard for film archives, and this access has been achieved hardly; this may depend on a misunderstanding on the relevance of film heritage. Italy’s overflowing visual environment, filled with artworks, has shaped the conventions towards mass culture, so film heritage has always been acknowledged as subaltern to the traditional cultural heritage’s preservation priorities, which are more respected by the governmental institutions. This paper introduces some cases of collaboration among educational institutions and film archives for today and tomorrow's personnel training.