Only weeks after fires set by rioters destroyed thousands of DVDs at a distribution warehouse in the U.K., the British Film Institute announced the completion of construction of a massive $19-million storage facility in Warwickshire that will house some 450,000 cans of film, representing the country's film heritage. It will also hold the largest collection of U.S. silent movies outside America. The Master Film Store, built on a former nuclear bunker site, will keep films stored at sub-zero temperatures, which should prevent the kind of deterioration that has required expensive restoration of many film classics. Robin Baker, head curator of the BFI national archive, told Britain's Guardian newspaper, "I can think of nothing -- in fact there is nothing -- as transformative for the safety of The National collection as this." Announcement of the storage facility comes just one week prior to the launch of Screen Heritage U.K. on Sept. 5, which will make a small number of the classic films available online.

29/08/2011