FILM INSTITUTE

Evening Post, Issue 47, 23 August 1935, Page 13

FILM INSTITUTE

EDUCATIONAL WORK

The .monthly meeting of the Wellington Film Institute was held in the N.Z.E.I. Rooms, "Evening Post" Buildings, on Tuesday. Mr. W. A. Armour presided.

The secretary (Mr. A. H. Thorn) reported that very cordial relations had been established with the film industry and that several invitations to previews of outstanding films had been received. He was continuing with his plan of gathering information about the number of educational IS millimetre non-inflammable films available in New Zealand, where they are housed, and what number of them will be available for use by this institute.

Information was made available of the work of an educational nature being done among the native tribes of British 'East Africa. Many of these tribes are not of pure negro stock but have a large admixture of Arab blood. Consequently many of them are highly intelligent and with the impact of Western 'civilisation upon them it is very essential that the best of their own traditional knowledge should ba preserved and that through the right channel they should-be imbued with what is best from the West. A great work of experimentation in education is now being carried out in East Africa through the cinema.

The. Rev; F. ..Wilkinson reported that the Public Questions Committee of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand was concerned about the, showing on the same theatre programmes of pictures advertised for adults only andfor universal exhibition. It was also mentioned that accompanying pictures for universal exhibition there were occasionally exhibited short features 6l an objectionable nature that .'should not accompany a programme for universal exhibition. A considerable amount of discussion took place and finally it decided to set up g small committee to discuss regulations with the Censor.

A communication was also received from the Dominion Council of the League of Nations Union asking for the co-operation of the Film Institute in connection with the request made by the International Educational Cinematograph Institute, Rome, that a correspondent committee be formed in New Zealand- to centralise for the benefit of everybody, all the information concerning the activities taking place in New Zealand in the field of educational cinematography. As the Wellington Institute feels that it can be of service in this direction it decided to offer to co-operate with the League of Nations Union in this work.

Iff acting as a correspondent committee the Wellington Film Institute will undertake a wide scope of work dealing inter alia with the cinema-and workmen's leisure time, the cinema in the domain of social hygiene, agriculture, documentations, cinema activities, libraries, and catalogues. The investigation also includes collaboration with a view to obtaining better cinematographic It is here, it. was stated, that New Zealand's contribution will be of great value, for this legislation reaches a higher standard ''thati. any where else in the world, and is quite likely to become a model for other countries to copy. The Wellington Film Institute proposes to make this its first investigation, its report bemg forwarded through the New Zealand League of Nations Union and the Minister of Education to the headquarters at Rome.