• Display Year: 2008

    Repatriation

    The NFSA Indigenous Collections Branch visits Yirrkala in north-east Arnhem Land, Northern Territory to repatriate audiovisual materials to the Buku-Larnnggay Mulka Multimedia Archive and Production Centre.

    • Display Year: 2008

    • Indigenous smoking ceremony at the NFSA on 1 July 2008. NFSA title: 763091

    Statutory authority

    The NFSA becomes an independent statutory authority on 1 July.

    • Display Year: 2007

    The NFSA launches Sounds of Australia to promote and celebrate the nation’s sound heritage.

    • Display Year: 2005

    • Detail from The Year My Voice Broke poster, 1987. NFSA title: 752175

    Acquisition highlights

    New additions to the NFSA collection in 2005 include 35mm feature film prints of Moulin Rouge! (2001), Survivor (1981), The Silver Brumby (1993), Dingo (1991) and The Year My Voice Broke (1987).

    • Display Year: 2005

    • Frank Taylor, Gerard Kennedy, Chuck Faulkner and Terence Donovan in Division 4, 1975. NFSA title: 685309

    • John Fegan, Terry McDermott and Lex Mitchell in Homicide, 1964. NFSA title: 476612

    • Denise Drysdale and Gerard Kennedy in Division 4, 1969. NFSA title: 592385

    Crawford Productions donation

    The NFSA receives a major television donation from Crawford Productions.

    • Display Year: 2004

    • INXS, 1984. Courtesy Warner Music. NFSA title: 469289

    INXS

    The NFSA acquires the first consignment of a major sound recording collection of INXS material.

    • Display Year: 2004

    A new Indigenous unit is created to oversee development of the NFSA’s Indigenous audiovisual collection.

    • Display Year: 2004

    Paolo Cherchi Usai is appointed as the new NFSA Director.

    • Display Year: 2003

    Australian Film Commission merger

    The federal government merges the NFSA with the Australian Film Commission from 1 July. An estimated 800 people attend two ‘Save ScreenSound’ rallies in Canberra, which attract wide media attention, and stakeholder groups lobby for NFSA statutory autonomy. The following year, the ScreenSound brand is dropped and the name returns to National Film and Sound Archive.

    • Display Year: 2003

    • Fire damaged photos at the NFSA, 2003.

    Family memories saved from fire

    The NFSA restores family photos from a major bushfire in the ACT that destroys or severely damages more than 500 homes and kills four people.

    • Display Year: 2002

    • Dot and the Kangaroo animation cel, 1977. Courtesy Yoram Gross Films. NFSA title: 497255

    Acquisition highlights

    Acquisition highlights include papers covering the career of Australian producer Anthony Buckley and animation cels from Dot and the Kangaroo (1977).

    • Display Year: 2002

    The NFSA’s still image preservation services switch from analogue preservation processing to digital formats.

    • Display Year: 2002

    • The Sentimental Bloke, 1919. NFSA Title: 357027

    Preserving our heritage

    The NFSA repairs and copies The Sentimental Bloke (1919), incorporating newly discovered material, and the nitrate print of Neptune’s Daughter (1914), starring Australian swimmer/actor Annette Kellerman.

    • Display Year: 2001

    Big Screen

    Big Screen commences touring Australian films to regional centres in 2001.

    • Display Year: 2001

    • Sights + Sounds of a Nation exhibition. Photo courtesy Australian Capital Tourism

    Sights + Sounds of a Nation

    A major permanent exhibition, Sights + Sounds of a Nation, opens at the NFSA in February.

    • Display Year: 2000

    • Leonard Teale, Terry McDermott and John Fegan in Homicide, 1964. NFSA title: 489007

    1000 scripts donated

    The Australian Writers’ Guild donates 1000 film, television and radio scripts to the NFSA.

    • Display Year: 2000

    Volunteer advocacy group the Friends of the NFSA is formed.

    • Display Year: 1990s

    Click ‘Read More’ to see further highlights from the 1990s including work with tertiary institutions and UNESCO.

    • Display Year: 1999

    • Extension to NFSA building in progress, 1998

    A bigger building

    Major extensions to the NFSA building are opened in June by Prime Minister John Howard.

    • Display Year: 1998

    Radio with Pictures

    The Radio with Pictures interview project commences. It includes filmed oral histories with prominent media personalities such as Bruce Gyngell AO.

    • Display Year: 1997

    The Australian Jazz Archive

    The NFSA establishes the Australian Jazz Archive in partnership with the jazz musicians’ community to build a national collection of recordings and other jazz materials.

    • Display Year: 1996

    Regional archives association formed

    The NFSA is instrumental to the formal establishment of the South East Asia-Pacific Audio Visual Archives Association (SEAPAVAA) in Manila, Philippines in February 1996.

    • Display Year: 1994
    • Model of proposed NFSA building extensions

      Model of proposed NFSA building extensions, 1994. NFSA title: 354203

    An extension for the NFSA

    The NFSA is quickly outgrowing its current available space and an extension to the heritage building is announced.

    • Display Year: 1993

    • Cinesound at Sydney Opera House, 1993. Photo: Roslyn Sharp

    Cinesound at Sydney Opera House

    More than 5000 people on the Sydney Opera House steps enjoy a summer evening screening of Cinesound newsreels and features from the NFSA collection as part of the Festival of Sydney.

    • Display Year: 1992

    Ron Brent is appointed as the new NFSA Director.

    • Display Year: 1992

    • Logo courtesy of IASA

    IASA at NFSA

    NFSA hosts the 24th International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives conference – the first to be held in the southern hemisphere.

    • Display Year: 1991

    • Leon Becker at the launch of Once Upon a Wireless.

    Once Upon a Wireless

    In May the NFSA begins Once Upon A Wireless, the single largest Oral History project with which the NFSA has been involved.