Paper will present an ongoing collection management initiative in Národní filmový archiv, Prague, opened by researching archival praxis in representation and description of language, ethnicity, religion or gender plurality. Starting with focus on nation concepts in the Central European area and Roma language and identity in particular, by framing the theoretical ground of the normativity issues in historical and contemporary portrayal of other cultures, related questions of the archival science are formulated. In non-feature film collections we can encounter several concurrent biases throughout 20th century image politics or propaganda, requiring us to formulate strategies how to uphold cultural and political integrity of archival collections. In digital curatorial practices the findings provide us new ways to construct virtual collections, use of thesauri and other searchability concepts in catalogues. Moving beyond the unspoken status quo and cultivation of archival competency in this area can prevent marginalisation and culturally unsafe feelings of social groups and facilitate establishing convenient archival policies in communicating the collections.

Markéta Bártová
Head of film cataloguing
Národní filmový archiv, Prague, Czech Republic

Mgr. Bc. Markéta Bártová, Ph.D. – Historian and archivist. During her professional career, she gained working experience in cultural and historical institutions such as the Jewish Museum in Prague or the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes. She was a member of the Section for Research on the Resistance Movement against the Communist Regime of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic (2014-2020). Currently she heads the Filmography and Cataloguing Department at the Národní filmový archiv in Prague and focuses on political Czechoslovak newsreels and documents created between 1945 to 1989.

Michal Klodner
Digital curator
Národní filmový archiv, Prague, Czech Republic

Ing. Michal Klodner Ph.D. – works in the field of audiovisual live performances and independent film. As an assistant he worked at FAMU Prague film school and completed his doctoral studies on the subject of postmediality. In Národní filmový archiv he is involved in digital curation concepts, cataloguing systems, digital archiving and research in the field of documentation, presentation and analysis of moving images.