European Film Treasures: Paradigm for Digital Film Collections?

A juried selection of rarely seen, difficult to find European films will soon be available online, for free. European Film Treasures, as the site will be known, is projected to include a collection of approximately 100 films at the time of its initial launch in April. Films will be available for viewing in streaming format exclusively, and will be submitted for inclusion by a number of major European film archives, including the British Film Institute, the Danish Film Institute, the French Film Archive, and others.

The full collection, projected to encompass as many as 500 important works, will highlight rare films of cultural importance, early technical achievements, or other noteworthy advances in form or content. The cooperative nature of the project and the laudable decision to make the films freely available for viewing, may establish a new standard for online film archives.