The 32nd edition of the annual Association of Moving Image Archivists conference is back in person and back in Pittsburgh for the first time since 2016. From December 7-9 at the Omni William Penn Hotel, more than 500 professionals and supporters will gather to discuss the most recent developments in archival technology, sustainable ways of preserving media, and the simple tools being used to save some of the most at-risk moving images around the world.
The conference features three days of programming with a day of pre-conference workshops, along with exhibitions, screenings, and hands-on instruction. Representatives from technology companies, libraries, universities, regional archives, public broadcasting, corporate archives, post-production facilities, studios, and broadcasters will contribute their views.
With a keynote from WQED’s Rick Sebak, the conference will also shine a light on Pittsburgh filmmakers. On December 7, the Harris Theatre will host an afternoon of free screening programs with filmmakers and experts. In addition to a program of film and video from the Pittsburgh Filmmakers from the 70s and 80s, screenings include The Sally Dixon Story, What Was Left Behind, and a panel on the recovery of George A. Romero’s Jacaranda Joe. The program is free and open to the public.
“AMIA celebrates 2022 in our field by looking at the latest technologies and perspectives,” says AMIA president Rachael Stoeltje. “All of us want to share our collections and our expertise, and we’re so grateful that Pittsburgh has welcomed us back with such open arms.”
The conference will also feature an opportunity to hear from the AMIA Pathways Fellows. Funded through a grant by the Institute of Library and Museum Services, the AMIA Pathways Fellowship is a unique national program providing paid internships, mentorship, and professional development training to forge pathways in the audiovisual preservation field for people from groups historically underrepresented in the profession.
The conference program reflects the variety of organizations, and a wide range of work done in the field, including digital preservation, the environmental impact of archives, new restoration technologies, and the preservation of collections in marginalized communities.
The annual highlight of the conference is Archival Screening Night. One of the most unique presentations of film anywhere, film and video clips are presented by the archivists who have found them, restored them, or acquired them for preservation. While each year is different, the three-hour presentation can include clips of such diverse subjects as a speech given by President Calvin Coolidge, to a 1960s health & safety film, from feature film outtakes to a turn-of-the-century jazz band and vintage television commercials. Many of the clips have never been seen in public, and many were destined to be lost forever before being rescued by archivists. Archival Screening Night Roadshow, a public version of Archival Screening Night, has played on screens around the world and on TCM. The third edition of roadshow is due in early 2023.
AMIA partners with Iron Mountain Entertainment Services and Pro-Tek Vaults as well as Prasad Corp, Digital Film Technology, Image Protection Services, NBCUniversal StudioPost, Kodak, Digital Bedrock, HFC Media Services, and Tuscan Archival to host the conference this year.
Visit the AMIA Conference website for full details and the complete schedule: http://www.amiaconference.net/