Czech Film Archive, Film archive and research institution in Prague, Czech Republic
The Czech Film Archive is a research institution in Prague that holds over 150 million meters of film materials. The collection includes some 30,000 feature films and 38,000 non-feature films, along with related documentation spanning several centuries.
The institution was founded in 1943 by the Czech-Moravian Film Centre to protect film materials from destruction during World War II. It rescued works that might otherwise have been lost and grew into a major research center for cinema worldwide.
The collection documents cinema from both the Czech lands and the world, tracing how filmmaking has changed since 1898. Visitors can see how international and domestic productions shaped what people watched and valued in film throughout the decades.
Visitors can access a study room in the central location where they can view films and related documents. The extensive database and digital resources make it straightforward to research and examine different works at your own pace.
The archive holds rare films from before World War I, including recovered works by filmmaker Georges Méliès that were long thought to be permanently lost. These discoveries rank among the collection's most treasured items and demonstrate the power of restoration efforts.
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