Archive
Discover treasures and get films back to the screen
The Lichtspiel Cinematheque Berne is dedicated to the protection and conservation of very delicate material.
25’000 films are stored in the Lichtspiel archives – most of them short films, films that are no longer screened in other cinemas and that we pay special attention to. Among them there are smaller, short productions and feature films, documentaries, experimental productions, animation films or music clips, newsreels and amateur films. Most of the films are loan collections, depots or films in our own possession.
All the films are viewed and catalogued, taken up in our database and stored according to professional standards. Our archive is associated to FIAF (Federation of International Film Archives). Our collections form the base of all our actions as a cinematheque – the archives and the documentations stand at the beginning of our curated programs, of the services we offer and they are essential for our participation in research projects and investigation programs.
The Lichtspiel collects and maintains a treasury of technical machines to work with film material and to screen films of all the eras of film history. All these contemporary witnesses are recorded in our database, revised and exhibited in the open storage visible to the public. From time to time, projectors, film editors or viewers are revised and restored to be used again, in other cases they are a precious resource for spare parts we use in our work and repair shop.
Our collection of documents, photographs and handbooks keeps records of every aspect of cinema and film history. This collection as well as our library are accessible on demand.
In our archives we preserve curiosities, machines and films meticulously. On the other hand, we try to exhibit, to show our treasures and all facettes of our archive. We propose to maintain a vitalised, visible and accessible archive, we use our collections and machines without putting them at risk. In this spirit our archives are modern, versatile, accessible, and we guarantee professional standards of preservation and quality.
