The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) has vowed to safeguard the nation’s cinematic and cultural heritage, through the strengthening of its human resource capabilities.
This is coming after the successful hosting of a transformative intensive training workshop held at the National Film Video and Sound Archive (NFVSA) in Jos, Plateau State from April 1-11, 2025.
With the theme: ‘Preservation of Audiovisual Materials and Archival Practices’, the training workshop equipped participants with cutting-edge skills in film handling, film scanning, digitization, archive management and cataloging, with emphasis on the deployment of global best practices in restoration and preservation of fragile audiovisual materials.
Speaking, after an assessment visit, on the imperatives of the training workshop, Dr. Ali Nuhu, NFC’s Managing Director/Chief Executive, averred that Nigeria couldn’t afford to lose any of her vintage audio-visual records currently being secured at the NFVSA in Jos.
“NFC remains fully committed to not only preserving, but also to protecting the nations heritage,” he declared.
Nuhu commended Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Arts (Berlin, Germany), Deutsche Filminstitut and Filmmuseum (Frankfurt, Germany), and Goethe University, Frankfurt and DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) for mounting the training workshop series, and also for their sustained partnership with the NFC on its transformative journey of elevating Nigeria’s status as a global cinematic powerhouse.
According to the NFC’s Managing Director, “The Federal Government remains resolute in empowering the NFVSA as the foremost repository of Nigeria’s audiovisual heritage.”
He charged the trainees drawn from the NFVSA, Master Degree students of Film Culture & Archiving Studies Programme, lecturers at National Film Institute, staff and students of University of Jos, as well as practicing film archiving stakeholders to implement their new found expertise in revitalizing, safeguarding, preserving and protecting the nation’s rich audio-visual materials.
Edmund Peters, NFC’s Director of Film Industry Support & Production Services, represented Nuhu at the closing and certificate presentation ceremony.
Goethe University’s Alo Paistik, Markus Ruff and Lisabona Rahman of Arsenal Institute for Film and Video Arts – lead facilitators of the 11- day training workshop – commended NFC for its proactive approach to archival practice. “Engaging with NFC’s dedicated staff and other trainees has been immensely rewarding. We are confident that the skills shared will catalyze transformative progress in Nigeria’s film restoration and archival management,” they submitted.
The University of Jos, through Professors Husseni Tsaku and Nancy King, present and immediate past Heads of Department, Theatre & Film Arts, at the closing ceremony applauded NFC and other partners for not only using the training workshops to prioritize archival practice and promotion of excellence, but also strengthening the offerings of the Master Degree Program in Film Culture and Archiving Studies, which the university is a partner.
At the closing ceremony and certificate presentation, participants expressed their readiness to advance Nigeria’s archival preservation capabilities. They equally expressed their profound gratitude for the opportunity to participate, pledging to apply the new skills, upscale their competences and drive the restoration, digitization and management of Nigeria’s audiovisual treasures.
An attendee, Mallam Idi Jimpy, enthused: “This training workshop, in the series, has further spiked our approach in archiving practices and management. We are now better equipped to protect audio-visual materials that tell Nigeria’s story.”
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