ABSTRACT
Based on my experiences in a national, publicly funded film heritage institute, I’d like to reflect on the public tasks this category of institutes has been mandated with, particularly presentation, access, and visitor/user information, and the ethical issues they imply. Behind these reflections is the notion that film historians, film archivists and their expert communities must confront – and communicate – all the signifying contexts that have impacted the production, distribution, exhibition and/or archiving of films in a certain administratively defined area as a result of which the objects collected in a film heritage institute serving that area have a specific shape.
