The Irish Film Institute (IFI) is proud to announce that the IFI Irish Film Archive has been awarded full accreditation by the Museum Standards Programme of Ireland (MSPI), an initiative run by the Heritage Council.
The IFI Irish Film Archive is one of eleven organisations to receive an accreditation certificate this year. Achieving full accreditation under the scheme is usually a five-year process, however the Archive achieved it in three years by choosing to apply for both interim and full accreditation at the same time.
The MSPI accreditation is a welcome recognition of the world-class processes that an Archive has put in place and the standards it rigorously maintains in relation to its vital work in preserving heritage.
The IFI Irish Film Archive helps preserve, protect and exhibit Ireland’s history by housing over 30,000 cans of films and 10,000 broadcast tapes dating back to 1897. The collection reflects the many facets of indigenous moving image production and includes newsreels, feature films, home movies, travelogues, advertisements and documentaries, amongst others.
Speaking about the award, IFI Director Ross Keane said, ‘IFI is delighted that the IFI Irish Film Archive has received a full MSPI accreditation from the Heritage Council.’
Head of the IFI Irish Film Archive, Kassandra O’Connell added, ‘In such a challenging year it is validating to have the dedicated collections management work of the Archive team recognised through full MSPI accreditation. Despite the pandemic we have continued to ensure that Ireland’s national moving image heritage is preserved to the highest standard.’
The IFI Irish Film Archive tour is currently closed due to COVID-19. However, their IFI Player is available worldwide and acts as a virtual viewing room for their remarkable collections and is perfect Irish media and history students. Check out the IFI Player here.