Film and TV posters: cultural heritage

At the National Film and Sound Archive (NFSA), Itzell Tazzyman is charged with the responsibility of collating Australian film posters to preserve this part of our cultural heritage. She told Hansika Bhagani why preservation of this undervalued art should be given a higher priority.

“It’s important to prioritise this part of our creative endeavors because key art, especially of early Australian films, tells us what Australians want to know about, about what they were creating; it’s a direct connection to who we are,” said Tazzyman.The NFSA collection encompasses a range of key art, from films as far back as the early 1900s till today.

Despite the rigorous curatorial policy, there is still plenty that is accepted.

“For the Australian material, a predominant of Australian content has to be in there. We aim to acquire posters that support an Australian feature or a documentary or a short film, and we tend to get our material directly from the makers.