As announced on the website of the Yugoslav Cinematheque, the Parliament of Serbia has on September 6th passed the Law on Film and Other Audio-Visual Heritage, which comprehensively regulates the protection of film and audio-visual material as an extremely important segment of cultural heritage, for the first time in our country.

Audio-visual archives should harmonize their organization and work with the provisions of this law within one year. The Yugoslav Cinematheque is defined as the Central Institution for the Protection and Preservation of Film and Other Audio-Visual Heritage, and its official name in the future will be the State Audio-Visual Archive of Serbia, the Yugoslav Cinematheque.

The new law is based on the proposal of the Working Group, which was formed in May 2021 by the Ministry of Culture and Information, headed by the director of the Yugoslav Cinematheque, Jugoslav Pantelić, as the chairman of the working group. The Working Group included representatives of the Ministry of Culture, as well as representatives of the Yugoslav Cinematheque, Film News, Radio and Television of Serbia and the Intellectual Property Office.

The law regulates the performance, structure and organization of activities for the protection and preservation of film and other audio-visual cultural heritage, as well as the method of protection, storage, processing and use of film and other audio-visual material, in accordance with international regulations and standards. The introduced novelties will contribute to the better functioning of those activities and institutions that deal with them.

Serbia passes the law on film and other audio-visual heritage