AMIA-94

-Why is AMIA important, you may ask?

Why do we need to travel so far to chat with friends about film and video and sound and future productions? We have Internet, fax, phones and we still remember to write letters - I hope? The answer is personal contacts and the importance of being together discussing matters with emotions and with reflections and getting answers from guys with years of experience in the field. Or I would like to explain the matter in a different way by Using "A project of imagination' - a plan to produce a programme about Norwegian sailors.

I never managed to go to a street called " Paris Street". If I was interested in the welfare system for sailors I should have tried to find 28, Paris Street in Boston. Because in 1950 there should be a place here where sailors could go for reading and studying. A kind of library for those sailors that had other interests than only drinking whisky and seducing the beautiful ladies of Boston.The name of the person who was in charge of the Sailors Club/Study Room was in 1950 C. O. Heggen. Well, I am not going to make this programme but if I had that intention I would like to talk about the project among my fellow members of AMIA. And perhaps there are films stored in Boston archives where the Norwegian tribe, the Norwegian sailors demonstrate their interest for studying and reading. But back to reality: AMIA conference 1994 was a success.Just look at the programme and make a rapid evaluation of the different sections where interesting subjects were discussed. Too interested I may say without any polite attempt to exaggerate. And I must say I visited many of the meetings. Because you do not have a language problem, the talks are more free and open and more spontaneous. You do not need to translate into French or German or Spanish.

I made a video from the conference where the many activities are stored. It is now very interesting to reuse the conference materials, to observe the meetings again. And this brings me to think about the reports from the meetings. Because I could not participate at all meetings I hope AMIA starts to discuss the possibility to get written reports from the different sections after the meeting - or as we try in FIAT to make an annual book and a video from the seminars or conferences. The future challenge for AMIA and also for FIAT/IFTA is to persuade those who are in charge to store more programmes, to take care of the moving images in a way that we may use the materials, the shots, the films and the sound again for new productions or for educational purposes. 28, Paris Street, Boston has to wait. But there are many "Paris Street" around the world where we have worked and had fun and suffered. So take care of your own streets.They may have a future.