Yugoslav Film Archive

The State Audiovisual Archives of Serbia, known as the Yugoslav Film Archive, is a cinematheque and national film depository located in Belgrade, Serbia. Established in 1949 as the national film archives of Yugoslavia, the institution currently serves as the national film depository of Serbia. It holds the distinction of being among the ten largest film archives in the world, safeguarding a vast repository of domestic and international cinema, photographic records, and related historical documents.

The Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia's Committee for Cinema founded the Yugoslav Cinematheque in 1949. In 1952, the institution expanded its public role with the creation of the Yugoslav Film Archive Museum. The collections faced a severe threat during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, prompting Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci to pen a plea for the archives to be spared, ultimately resulting in the successful preservation of the holdings. Subsequently, with support from the Serbian government and international aid, notably from France, the archives underwent a comprehensive modernization. A new 700 square meter, two-level building equipped with climate controlled vaults meeting the highest conservation standards was constructed and inaugurated in 2007. Following restoration, the main building officially opened in 2011 and became accessible to the public in 2014.

The film collections encompass over 100,000 prints spanning various national productions, genres, and formats, including silent and sound, black and white and color, and nitrate and acetate stocks. Approximately 85 percent of the film collection consists of foreign material, including works previously considered lost, making the archive a significant destination for international researchers. The institution also preserves the most crucial archival material and documentaries from the territory of the former Yugoslavia, including more than 90 percent of domestic production since World War II. Most titles are protected by duplicate copies. Beyond film, the holdings include a photographic collection of roughly 250,000 identified images alongside an equal volume of unprocessed photographs from local and foreign productions and portraits of industry figures. The document collection contains contracts, letters, and original scripts relevant to national cinema history. Additionally, the archive holds approximately 15,000 processed film posters and around 200,000 unprocessed posters and related materials, with a priority on preserving posters for domestic films. The collections grow continuously through mandatory deposits of domestic productions, international sharing, purchases, and institutional or private gifts.

The oldest extant film preserved concerning Serbia is a documentary recording the coronation of King Peter the First, which took place in Belgrade in 1904. This foundational piece of national heritage was safeguarded by the archive until its restoration in 1992. The broader Yugoslav film collection is notably comprehensive, encompassing the vast majority of cinematic production in the region following the Second World War.

The institution operates across three sites in Belgrade. The administration and library are located at 1 Uzun Mirkova Street in the Stari grad municipality, near Studentski Trg. The cinematheque museum is situated at 11 Kosovska Street, also in Stari grad. The film archives themselves are housed at 88 Kneza Višeslava Street in the Čukarica municipality, situated within the Košutnjak neighborhood. This archive location shares its address with the Avala Film production company and its studios, which have produced over 400 documentaries, 200 Yugoslav films, and 120 co-productions. This concentration of film infrastructure forms a distinct sub-quarter known as Filmski Grad, or the film city.

The Yugoslav Film Archive is located in Belgrade, Serbia, and operates its museum, library, exhibition hall, and administration across multiple central and suburban locations. As of 2020, the institution is led by film critic and columnist Jugoslav Pantelić as director, with Aleksandar Erdeljanović serving as director of the archives and Marjan Vujović as director of the museum. The restored main building opened its doors to the public in 2014, fulfilling its present role as an accessible center for the exhibition and study of audiovisual heritage. Further information regarding access and programming is available via the institution's official website.