Journal of Film Preservation - FIAF

Anita Falk (1958-2009)
Jon Wengström
In Memoriam
Anita Falk, conservateur au Swedish
Film Institute de Stockholm, est morte
suite à un cancer le 6 mai 2009, à l’âge
de 50 ans. Jon Wengström, au nom de
tous ses collègues de l’Institut, lui rend
ici un ultime hommage.
Anita Falk s’était jointe à l’Institut en
1996, suite à plusieurs années de travail
dans un laboratoire commercial. Son
expérience était particulièrement
précieuse alors que l’Institut venait de
recevoir une subvention spéciale pour
travailler à la restauration des longs
métrages couleur de la production
suédoise de 1952 à 1979. Son influence
sur l’équipe de la section Archives fut
immédiate et elle prit à sa charge trois
des projets de restauration les plus
complexes : En Djungelsaga (1957)
d’Arne Suckdorff, Expedition Röda Havet
et ABBA-The Movie (1977).
En 2003, au moment d’organiser le
congrès FIAF conjoint Stockholm-
Helsinki, il fut décidé de confier à Anita
l’organisation du symposium consacré
à la restauration des films couleurs. Et
tous les participants se souviennent
assurément des deux journées
stimulantes que tous vécurent sous sa
direction enthousiaste.
Mais l’intérêt d’Anita ne se limitait pas
aux films couleurs : ses responsabilités
incluaient tous les aspects du travail
de restauration qu’elle abordait avec
un esprit ouvert, toujours disposée
à partager ses expériences et ses
nouveaux acquis.
Plus qu’une collègue, dont l’immense
compétence va nous manquer, c’est une
amie que nous avons perdue, une amie
dont le charme et la gentillesse étaient
une inspiration pour tous ceux qui ont
travaillé avec elle.
Preservation officer Anita
Falk of the Swedish Film
Institute in Stockholm
died of cancer on 6 May
2009, at the age of 50. Her
colleagues at the Archival
Film Collections miss a
highly respected colleague
and a dear friend.
Having had many years
experience working in a
commercial laboratory,
Anita Falk joined the
Archival Film Collections
of the Swedish Film
Institute in 1996. This
was at a time when the
Institute, after many years
of lobbying, had been
granted extra funding
from the government
for the preservation of
Swedish feature-length films shot on colour stock during the period 1952-
79, which were subject to severe colour fading. As soon as she joined the
archive, Anita became a very influential member of the staff, immediately
showing a high level of dedication and commitment to the safeguarding
of the Swedish film heritage. Arne Sucksdorff’s documentary classic En
djungelsaga (1957), the 1956 Expedition Röda havet (the first Swedish
underwater feature-length film), and the stereophonic music film ABBA –
the Movie (1977) were three of the preservation projects most dear to her,
as they provided some of the most difficult challenges.
When the Swedish Film Institute was appointed to co-host the 2003 FIAF
Congress with the Finnish Film Archive in Helsinki, it was decided that
the theme of the Stockholm symposium would be the preservation of
colour films. And who better suited than Anita to be the organizer of the
symposium – a task she handled with efficiency and expertise, resulting
in a memorable and highly informative two days. During the preparation
stages, she was also closely involved in the overall organization of the
congress, which benefitted from her many international contacts, first
fostered when she attended the FIAF summer school in Rochester in 1998,
and developed further by her many visits to congresses and festivals.
Anita was always eager to learn more, and was soon assigned a wide
variety of preservation tasks aside from colour films. She was never afraid
to question and challenge habitual practices, which very much furthered
the level of work carried out by the archive. Anita was a thoroughly
66 Journal of Film Preservation / 81 / 2009