The team of Suspilne Ukraine and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv took part in a study visit to France. The five-day training was organized at the invitation of the French agency for international technical cooperation Expertise France, in partnership with the École nationale des chartes, and with the support of the National Library of France (BNF), the National Audiovisual Institute (INA), the Establishment for Communication and Audiovisual Production of the French Ministry of Armed Forces (ECPAD), and the National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC).
The Suspilne team presented its work with archives and the Suspilne Mediateka platform.
During the visit, the Ukrainian delegation learned about the work of French institutions that preserve, digitize, and promote audiovisual archives, as well as studied technical processes, storage standards, and approaches to public engagement and access to archival content.
A visit to the archives of the Establishment for Communication and Audiovisual Production of the French Ministry of Armed Forces (ECPAD). The historic casemates where the storage facilities are located help maintain a stable temperature throughout the year. The ECPAD archives hold over 15 million photographs and 94,000 hours of video, making it one of the most significant military audiovisual archives in the world.
Фото: Malo Harmant/ECPAD/Défense
According to Taisiia Turchyn, Head of the Mediateka Department at Suspilne Ukraine, the study visit was highly practical:
«These were five days filled with extremely relevant information for us — from relocating archives during wartime threats to processing digitized images, from the secrets of identifying discovered film reels to promoting archives on social media and creating programs based on archival materials. Every institution we visited revealed new aspects of this work. We reaffirmed that we are moving in the right direction — archives cannot exist separately from other fields. I am deeply grateful to the Embassy of France in Ukraine and personally to Ms. Héloïse Marmuse de La Taille, Attaché for Scientific and University Cooperation, without whom this visit would not have been possible. I am thankful to every institution and every person who contributed, helped, and shared their knowledge. We believe these are just the first steps toward a strong, long-term partnership», — said Taisiia Turchyn.
The laboratory of the National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) — where “sick” film reels are restored and preserved.
The team learned about the process of working with film materials that require identification. Every tiny detail matters in this work — from the recorded content to every mark on the film itself.
The Suspilne team was shown specially designed film storage boxes that allow air circulation to help preserve the physical material. The French film archive under the CNC holds over 100,000 films in its collections, including feature films, short films, and documentaries.
«During the training, we were able to explore the technical aspects of archiving — from equipment maintenance and component interchangeability to methods of preservation and media restoration. I was impressed by the use of artificial intelligence in processing digitized materials and by the systematic work with metadata, databases, and cataloging. It’s essential to continuously upgrade the qualifications of technical staff to implement the best European practices in archiving and preserving cultural heritage», — said Viktor Koziy, Chief Engineer at Suspilne Lviv.
He also emphasized the importance of continuous training for technical personnel and the value of international experience in developing a high-quality archiving system at Suspilne Ukraine.
Tour of the National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC).
Таїсія Турчин передала унікальну платівку із записами Заслуженого академічного симфонічного оркестру Українського Радіо у Національну бібліотеку Франції (BNF)
Сховища Національної бібліотеки Франції (BNF)
The participants paid special attention to how archives are promoted in France.
«As the head of the Suspilne Mediateka website, I was most interested in public engagement and access to archival content — and the French experience is truly impressive! For example, the military archive has a team of 40 people who organize events, cooperate with schools and universities, and publish books — all to promote their archives. At INA, there are several websites where researchers and journalists can not only view but also purchase content for which the institute holds copyright. Several dozen people work on promoting archives there, and their social media accounts have millions of followers.
They even produce a prime-time TV program based on archival materials every Saturday. Moreover, they have a public space within the national library where scholars — and anyone else — can come to view and study archives. Of course, we would love to have something similar in Ukraine. I truly wish that archives would become popular in our country as well», — shared Iryna Hots, Head of the Suspilne Mediateka website.
Equipment for digitizing video materials of various formats at the National Audiovisual Institute (INA) (photos 1). Color correction work with digitized video (photo 2).
Film cleaning machines (INA).
INA also performs continuous “ingest” functions — capturing live broadcasts from television, radio, and web media 24/7 for archiving purposes.
The Suspilne team was surprised when their French colleagues showed them digitized Ukrainian video footage. As of the end of 2024, INA’s collections contained over 26.5 million hours of television and radio programs received under France’s legal deposit system — the mandatory submission of all broadcast materials from French TV and radio channels.
The knowledge gained during the visit will serve as a foundation for developing new approaches to archiving and promoting audiovisual heritage at Suspilne Ukraine.
As a reminder, following the reform of state television and radio channels, Suspilne Ukraine. inherited vast collections of video and audio materials — not only from the national broadcaster but also from all regional TV and radio companies. Together with its partners, the team began digitizing these recordings, organizing them into catalogs, and publishing them on the Suspilne Mediateka, platform, where everyone can watch or listen to them.
Suspilne Ukraine is an independent media company with a powerful presence across all platforms: the TV channels Pershyi (First Channel), Suspilne Kultura, Suspilne Sport, and a national network of regional channels; as well as the radio stations Ukrainske Radio, Radio Promin, Radio Kultura, and Radiotochka. Only verified news is available on the website suspilne.media, as well as on national and regional digital platforms. Suspilne Ukraine broadcasts in the languages of national communities, represents Ukraine at the Eurovision Song Contest, develops the children’s platform “Brobaks”, and trains media professionals at the Public Media Academy. We also operate Suspilne Mediateka — a platform of unique video and audio content from the 1920s to today. We defend freedom in Ukraine.
