Contemporary Collecting: YOUR Stories Matter!

Do you have moving image content from the last 20 years (or even the last 20 minutes) that reflects environmental themes and issues?

Like the planet, our film heritage needs preserving for future generations.

Thanks to National Lottery players, we’ve had the opportunity to delve into our own fascinating collections as part of our project ‘Nature Matters’ (funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund). Now it’s your turn to take part.

What are we looking for?

From climate marches and tree planting, to community recycling schemes or your local wind farm, walks in the local park or visits to areas of outstanding beauty - your stories matter.

  • Films can be professional or amateur, shot on first-rate equipment, hand-held cameras, camera traps, drones, mobile phones, or absolutely anything in between.
  • Films can be any length (could be 1 minute, could be 1 hour).
  • Films should have clear, good quality sound and visuals.
  • You must have the rights or permission from the copyright holder to send the film.
  • Films submitted should be the highest-quality digital version that you have available (e.g. formats such as .MOV or .mp4).
  • The film archives are particularly interested in engaging narratives and underrepresented groups.
  • Films ideally must be relevant to the regions of Yorkshire or the North East of England.

We are also very willing to consider environmental films that don’t fulfil all of these criteria, if they are unique or significant for other reasons.

Why submit something to YFA & NEFA?

If you want your film to be preserved in the long-term, in its highest quality, then an archive is the place to put it. There’s always a risk of digital film formats becoming outdated, memory sticks getting lost, hard-drives being wiped, and the uncertainty around sites like YouTube lasting forever. We take extra precautions to make sure your films will last for generations, which means they might also become a very useful tool for future historians and filmmakers!

It’s also in our remit to promote access to the films in our archive. This means that your film could be shared with a wider audience, whether that’s through our website, in film shows or exhibitions, depending on what you’re happy with. We are committed to telling diverse stories which are reflective of the time period; thinking ahead, we need to collect and share the stories of TODAY, to cement their place in history.

How does this work?

You may wish to deposit your collection with us. This means that you pass on your material to the Archive for assessment. Following this assessment, the Archive will contact you and either request permission to formally acquire relevant materials to preserve as part of its permanent collection, or advise on other arrangements. At the point of acquisition, we will also discuss the terms of use of the collection and any acknowledgements required.  

Where can you send the footage?

Thank you for thinking of us! If you would like to deposit your footage with us as a digital file (e.g. .mp4 or .mov files), then please upload your film via the WeTransfer link here:

https://yfanefa.wetransfer.com/ 

If you have multiple films to share with us, don’t worry, you can upload more than one at once! Further instructions are available on the WeTransfer page, including the details we need from you with your submission.

We will download your file and get back to you within 10 working days with our decisions about your film. If your submission is successful and we would like to accept your film(s) into our archive collections, we will be in touch with information about the acquisition process.

If you have any analogue footage for us instead, please email naturematters@yfanefa.com with the details.

Any Questions? We are happy to help - please email us at naturematters@yfanefa.com