Archivists to save Papua New Guinea's film collection from climate damage

The article details a major preservation effort by archivists to safeguard Papua New Guinea’s audiovisual heritage from environmental damage and decay.

Key Takeaways

• The Threat: Over 1,300 film reels and magnetic tapes housed at Papua New Guinea’s National Film Institute (NFI) in Goroka are at high risk of permanent loss due to extreme humidity, tropical heat, fungal growth, and climate change hazards.

• The ACT / Australian Connection: The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), based in Canberra, has partnered with the NFI in a multi-year effort supported by the Australian Government's International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund.

• Conservation & Restoration:

  • Severely decomposing and at-risk film stock has been transported to Canberra for specialized physical stabilization, cleaning, and high-definition digital scanning.

  • Notable preserved titles include PNG’s milestone 1982 feature film Tukana: Husat I Asua alongside historical ethnographic and documentary footage documenting traditional local customs and national history.

• Technology & Digital Access: To overcome local internet and infrastructure constraints, the NFSA custom-built a Remote Onsite Digital Access (RODA) system, allowing staff and researchers in Goroka to locally access high-quality digital copies of their restored catalog.

• Skills Transfer: The project emphasizes long-term self-sustainability, providing PNG archivists with hands-on training in Canberra and Sydney on archival storage, chemical stabilization, and equipment maintenance, alongside specialized archival packaging supplies.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-26/act-race-save-papua-new-guineas-precious-film-collection/106958080