We are only a small part of the bfi at the NFTVA but most of our members are passionate about film and the national heritage that is in our keeping for future generations. It is the concern over the future of our film collections that now require us to speak out.

—  The storage and general state of large parts of the collection is very poor due to under funding allowing film to deteriorate in cans and be stored in unsuitable conditions.

—  The bfi's main aim in recent years has been allowing access to the collection, this is a laudable aim but it has its drawbacks in that it only concentrates on a small part of the entire collection. At present very little importance (probably due to financial constraints) is given to active preservation of the collection leaving much of it to deteriorate. This will of course impact on the variety of films future generations will be able to see.

—  There is much infighting in the large unwieldy organisation that the bfi has become and this is having a particularly damaging effect on the NFTVA with access setting targets and demands that the NFTVA struggle to meet because of short time limits, staff cuts and under funding. It is considered by some bfi management preferential to send work to outside laboratories at great expense.

—  The NFTVA has had its production capped due to financial restraints for 2003-04 and for the purposes of key performance indicators this has been set at 500,000 feet; this is well below its operating capacity.

—  In the five years that the Heritage Lottery Fund Project was undertaken at the NFTVA the directly funded full time Film Council staff were slashed by 38% that equated to 47 posts being deleted at an approximate saving of £1.5 million.

—  From the outset the HLF Project was mismanaged and the staff consequently struggled to meet their unrealistic targets and had on occasions to be assisted by full time Film Council staff. There is still an enormous backlog to complete and this will become more daunting with the loss of many dedicated HLF staff.

—  The technical expertise of many of the NFTVA staff has been undervalued by bfi senior management (most of whom have little or no technical expertise themselves), consequently there has been little or no chance for technical staff to progress and achieve promotion and so over the years many valuable staff have left.

—  The NFTVA main benefactor has been J Paul Getty Jnr KBE but much of the money that he intended to be used at the NFTVA appears to have been mismanaged by previous management at the bfi and used in other areas.

—  Autonomy for the NFTVA is probably the only way forward for this organisation that for years has been suppressed by the bfi. With a curator and management team who are passionate about film preservation, the Collection, and the Archive, we could, given the chance and control of our own budget, turn the NFTVA into the centre of excellence it should be.

1 April 2003