The Department of Arts and Culture and the National Archives of South Africa congratulate the Encounters Documentary Film Festival on their sixth successful festival. We are happy to be official partners of the Festival in this, the tenth anniversary of Democracy in South Africa and the fortieth anniversary of the National Film Video and Sound Archives.
Documentary films are vital historical resources and form powerful reflections of the progress and problems of our society. For these reasons The National Archives is proud to co-operate with the Encounters Documentary Film Festival. The screening of historic footage from the famous African Mirror series, held by the National Film Archives and courtesy of the SABC, shows how an unequal and distorted society perceived and projected itself. They are nevertheless historically and technically fascinating commentaries. However, they highlight the need to reflect the experiences of all sectors of our society and the need to focus on the transformation of our nation. Current documentary producers can only do better.
The National Film Video and Sound Archives has been preserving this material for forty years and we look forward to preserving current documentaries for future generations.
