Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS
University of Toronto�s Media Commons Receives Significant Film Collection
By Staff
posted Mar 18, 2010, 12:54
The Special Collections Archive of the Media Commons at the University of Toronto has received a substantial collection of over 400 35mm Hong Kong and Taiwanese films and trailers from Colin Geddes, a film archivist, curator, and international film programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival�.
TIFF Programmer Colin Geddes donates more than 400 films and trailers from
Hong Kong and Taiwan
(Toronto) The Special Collections Archive of the Media Commons at the University
of Toronto has received a substantial collection of over 400 35mm Hong Kong
and Taiwanese films and trailers from Colin Geddes, a film archivist, curator,
and international film programmer for the Toronto International Film Festival®.
The Colin Geddes Collection includes approximately 200 feature films and 225
trailers on 35mm film spanning the 1970’s though the 1990’s and
includes some of the rare early work of critically-acclaimed and award-winning
directors such as Wong Kar-wai, Tsui Hark, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Ronny Yu Yan-Tai,
Ringo Lam, John Woo and others.
“To have a collection of this range and quality safely preserved in the
Special Collections Archive of the Media Commons, is a true gift to students,
faculty and film fans,” said Charlie Keil, Director, Cinema Studies Institute,
University of Toronto. “Many of the donated titles are unavailable elsewhere
in North America and in certain instances these reels are some of the last surviving
prints anywhere in the world.”
“I feel very strongly that the collection should stay in Toronto as every
title seemed like an orphan sent far from home to be appreciated by our city’s
audiences,” said Colin Geddes. “I am pleased to know that the archive
in good hands at the University of Toronto and that many new generations of
film students will be able to access and study these incredible films.”
Compiled over 15 years, the Colin Geddes Collection includes reels procured
from various Toronto Chinatown cinemas that were closed during this period of
time and, in some cases, were rescued from the garbage. “The collection
was born out of a recognition that these films represent a valuable piece of
international cinematic history that would be impossible to replace if ever
lost,” said Geddes.
The collection will be made available through the Media Commons for use by students
and film scholars. Forming an integral part of select Cinema Studies Institute
courses, it is hoped that the collection will prove invaluable as a resource
for those researching Hong Kong and Taiwanese film production.
About Media Commons at the University of Toronto
Media Commons is the repository of audiovisual scholarly resources. Established
in 2003, it contains both published and unpublished, primary and secondary materials,
and is the largest repository for these resources in a Canadian educational
institution. It consists of three basic components: a film/video/DVD lending
library with over 12,000 titles, microform holdings of over 1.6 million newspaper,
periodical, rare book and manuscript materials, and an expanding holding of
archival and special collections related to Canadian film, broadcasting, television
and new media.
The mandate of Media Commons is to support the curriculum and research possibilities
in all the disciplines taught at the University of Toronto through the use of
and study of these audiovisual resources. It serves primarily the faculty, staff,
students and alumni, as well as the general public. Students in the sciences,
literature, sociology, psychology, business, law, musicology, cinema studies
and many other disciplines use these primary research resources.
Media Commons is located in Robarts Library on the St. George campus in downtown
Toronto. Robarts Library is also home to the premier humanities and social sciences
textual collection at the University of Toronto – one of the finest in
the world. The synergies between the many types of collections are opening up
new areas of research. U of T’s Media Commons also houses film donations
by Alliance Atlantis, Robert Lantos-Serendipity Point Films, and Lionsgate.
www.library.utoronto.ca/mediacommons
About Colin Geddes
Colin Geddes is a Toronto-based film archivist, curator, and consultant, well
known for his role as one of the international programmers at the Toronto International
Film Festival. At TIFF he has introduced new talent and hosted the premieres
of films including Miike Takashi’s Ichi The Killer; Johnnie To’s
Full Time Killer; and Pratchya Pinkaew’s Ong Bak: Muay Thai Warrior. In
addition, Geddes has one of North America's largest collections of Hong Kong
cinema promotional materials, posters, and lobby cards and in July 2008, held
an exhibit of fifty posters from the collection at the Cinémathèque
Québécoise.
About TIFF
TIFF is a not-for-profit cultural organization whose mission is to transform
the way people see the world through film. Its vision is to lead the world in
creative and cultural discovery through the moving image. TIFF generates an
annual economic impact of $135 million CAD and currently employs more than 100
full-time staff and 500 part-time and seasonal staff, and counts upon the largesse
of over 2,000 volunteers year-round. www.tiff.net
About TIFF Bell Lightbox
Currently under construction, TIFF Bell Lightbox, a breathtaking five-storey
complex located in downtown Toronto, will provide a permanent home for film
lovers to celebrate cinema from around the world and will propel TIFF forward
as an international leader in film culture. Designed by innovative architecture
firm KPMB, TIFF Bell Lightbox’s fluid structure encourages exploration,
movement and play. The campaign to build TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported
by founding sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada,
the King and John Festival Corporation – consisting of the Reitman family
and the Daniels Corporation – RBC as major sponsor and official bank,
Visa†, the Copyright Collective of Canada, the Slaight Family Foundation,
NBC Universal Canada, the Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation, the Harbinger
Foundation, CIBC and BMO. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals
and corporations have also contributed to the campaign. For more information
on the TIFF Bell Lightbox campaign, visit belllightbox.ca.
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