The NFSA has been organising training seminars in South East Asia since the early 1980s, sponsored by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
At the ASEAN Training Seminar on Film and Video Archive Management held in Canberra in May 1995, the participants from South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand decide to form a regional association to address common issues relating to the collection, preservation and provision of access to the audiovisual heritage of member countries.
The South East Asia-Pacific Audio Visual Archives Association (SEAPAVAA) is legally constituted and launched in Manila, Philippines in February 1996.