FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2025

The Western Balkans, shaped by the legacy of former Yugoslavia, hold a rich and diverse audiovisual heritage that reflects the region’s complex history, cultural plurality, and evolving national identities. However, this heritage faces numerous challenges stemming from political tensions, historical antagonisms, and unequal access to preservation resources. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, the centralization of archives in Belgrade led to significant disparities in access and preservation capacities across the region.

The linguistic and cultural diversity of the Balkans further complicates efforts to safeguard and promote these archives. Each country encounters distinct obstacles, from a lack of infrastructure and technical skills to varying levels of political will and funding. In this fragmented landscape, collaborative initiatives offer a vital pathway toward bridging these gaps, encouraging mutual understanding, and reinforcing the shared memory that binds the region. By pooling resources and expertise, such initiatives can overcome national limitations and promote a collective responsibility for preserving this common heritage.

To address these issues, national broadcasters from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, and the Vojvodina region will launch the project “My Balkan(s)” in September, with support from the French Embassy in Serbia. The French National Audiovisual Institute (INA) will act as a knowledge partner. A roundtable marking the project’s launch will serve as a starting point for open dialogue and strategic cooperation.

Experts and stakeholders will discuss key challenges related to audiovisual preservation, technical needs, regional cooperation, and content creation. The goal is to foster a shared vision, promote skill exchange, and lay the groundwork for a sustainable and inclusive model of audiovisual heritage valorisation in the Western Balkans.

This presentation aims to discuss the ongoing National Research Project funded by the European Union SAFE (the SustainAbility of italian Film hEritage: archival infrastructures, digital preservation, and stewardship Strategies) and its outcomes. The non-theatrical Italian film archive community is daily engaged in dealing with highly complex and internally diverse issues: on the one hand, aligned to international standards or part of recognised federations, on the other and not infrequently on the fringes of institutional, legislative and governmental procedures and frameworks.  

To adequately explore the main research questions around three axes - archival infrastructures, digital preservation, and stewardship strategies -, the methodological framework for this research draws on three key areas of study: critical infrastructure along with archival and museum studies; digital film and critical digital humanities; and media archaeology combined with media sustainability. SAFE is carrying out three macro-actions of applied research: monitoring and analysing the infrastructural sustainability of preservation centres; surveying digital preservation practices and protocols, collecting and sharing stewardship strategies. A digital atlas addresses these intentions, being a tool derived from the digital humanities’ methodological framework through data visualization. Such exchanges are crucial for building a resilient and sustainable future for film heritage.

Beyond technical solutions, the SAFE initiative emphasizes the role of archives in fostering cultural memory and community engagement. By addressing environmental, cultural, and ethical dimensions, the project offers a holistic approach to the challenges of the digital age. Its outcomes will not only benefit Italian film archives but also contribute to global efforts to safeguard cultural heritage in an era of rapid technological and ecological change.

AVI - Italian Association of Video Libraries and Media Libraries was born out of an unexpected event, and accidents can sometimes turn into ‘opportunities’.

Founded as an Association on October 24, 2001, in Cesena, its primary goal was to offer legal guidance on issues related to audiovisual materials management.

Today, AVI represents over 300 Italian audiovisual archives and serves as a key representative body in the cultural, scientific, technical, legal, and legislative fields, advocating for the organization of services and documentation in institutions preserving invaluable cultural heritage.

AVI has supported affiliated public and private institutions through workshops and meetings on topics like conservation, access to collections, and copyright. The evolving nature of copyright remains a challenge due to changes in audiovisual production and distribution, which have expanded access and platforms.

This revolution has pointed out challenges in preserving audiovisual works, particularly in locating both current and past Home Video editions, for which AVI organizes an annual award for the best national and international releases.

These issues, along with the need for professional development have been highlighted to both the public and industry experts. Since 2017 AVI has organized discussions at the annual Convegno delle Stelline - Biblioteche.

What goals does AVI set for the future?

- Encouraging digital lending;
- Promoting specific licenses for multi-subject screenings;
- Building new partnerships;
- Discussions with home video producers for usage licenses;
- Cataloging archives to increase collection visibility;
- Training and updates.

AVI’s connection with institutions such as RAI Teche, Mediaset, RSI, Cineteca di Bologna, Istituto Centrale per i Beni Sonori e Audiovisivi, Archivio Luce/Cinecittà, Museo del cinema di Torino, Images en bibliothèque will undoubtedly play a role in safeguarding audiovisual culture from a contemporary perspective.

In the rapidly evolving digital landscape, the television industry is increasingly required to adapt to new technologies and workflows to meet both creative and operational demands. The Mediaset Fiction case study illustrates how a comprehensive business process reengineering (BPR) approach can streamline the complex workflows of Media Management, involving end to end processes from prospecting, to production, approval, and distribution of related content.

The project focuses on the lifecycle of Fiction materials, examining the intricate steps involved in managing audiovisual assets—such as episodes, trailers, scripts, and audio files. The core of the project lies in the collaborative efforts of multiple internal departments and external stakeholders and production companies, each playing a crucial role in the process from ideation, to raw material approval till final delivery, including different steps from preview, to validation, ingest, standard and 4K quality control, conversion till publishing in the library, ready for linear and/or OTT distribution. Additionally, the project encompasses other related processes, such as the creation of promotional materials and the delivery of assets for social media and press office activities.

The complexity of this process is underscored by challenges such as managing fragmented content, scheduling processes, capacity constraints, especially in 4K production, emphasizes the evolution of the Media Supply Chain through the adoption of advanced ERP tools for content management, and the automation of approval cycles for faster, more efficient workflows.

As a strategic project, Mediaset Fiction not only highlights the technical complexities and operational efficiencies required in modern media production but also underscores the importance of archive management and the strategic re-use of content. In fact, Mediaset fiction materials play a crucial role even in the sales division, which main activities are commercializing, promoting and selling assets to external networks, TV channels, and other stakeholders.

In the digital era, television archives have evolved from static storage to dynamic assets that drive both operational efficiency and creative innovation. In this context, they are no longer just repositories; they are central to fostering innovation, improving collaboration, and maintaining a competitive edge in the fast-evolving media landscape.