Bergman Archives Memory of the World

Unesco's programme aims at preservation of valuable archive holdings and library collections worldwide. "It is a recognition of one of the greatest life time artistic achievements ever", says Astrid Söderbergh Widding, Ingmar Bergman Foundation.

The decision was made during the International Advisory Committee (IAC) meeting in Pretoria, South Africa June 13-15.

Astrid Söderbergh Widding, chairwoman of the Ingmar Bergman Foundation:
- It is with great joy and pride that The Ingmar Bergman Foundation has received the news that Bergman's archives have been included in the Memory of the World Register. It is a recognition of one of the greatest life time artistic achievements ever, and of the most renowned Swede in the world.

Alfred Nobel's Family Archives, Sweden's second nominated, were also inscribed on the list. Among others two films can be mentioned: the world's first feature-length film The Story of the Kelly Gang (Australia, 1906), and the more well-known The Wizard of Oz (USA, 1939). Earlier the archives of Astrid Lindgren, Goethe, and H.C Andersen have made it to the same list.

The Ingmar Bergman Archives document the work of one of the most outstanding film and theatre directors of the 20th century. The archives originate from the donation in 2002 by Ingmar Bergman himself of his entire personal collection, covering some 65 years of artistic creation, to the Swedish Film Institute. Following the donation, the Film Institute set up the Ingmar Bergman Foundation, together with the Royal Dramatic Theatre, AB Svensk Filmindustri and AB Sveriges Television as co-founders. Its objective is to administrate, preserve, and to provide information about Ingmar Bergman's collected artistic works.

The Archives comprise around 45 metres and include hand and type-written original manuscripts, drafts, notebooks, production papers, photographs and behind-the-scenes-footage from the shooting of his films, and private and professional correspondence.

The Archives are arranged and catalogued with the support of Riksbankens Jubileumsfond and will in August/September be lucid through a database reachable through Ingmar Bergman Face to Face. The website Face to Face was launched by the Foundation in 2005 as a prolongation of the Ingmar Bergman Archives. According to Ingmar Bergman's letter of gift the Archives will be made accessible for researchers, but before that necessary acts of preservation and digitization has to be made.

Next year, 2008 Ingmar Bergman celebrates his 90th birthday and in connection to that the Foundation hopes to make a first selection of the Archives available.

Read more about Memory of the World.