The Chris Awards Research Collection is available for on site study by the film student and scholar. Since we would like to increase interest in distributors for our winners, access is not limited to the actual dates of the Festival as commonly may be the case. Several master's theses and at least one doctoral dissertation have resulted from this study.
We are establishing an endowment fund to expand our capability to
manage the collection, which continues to grow each year. In addition
to Chris winners, we include the Bronze Plaque winners.
We are investigating long term preservation of video tape, film, and DVD
and are working toward the time we will be able to assure long term
preservation through digital and/or laser media. We hope that you
the entrant, will find this aspect of the collection as exciting
as we do. This will mean that your award winning productions will
not become "obsolete".
In 1985, the Chris Awards Film Collection was
established at The Ohio State University's Department of Photography
& Cinema. Dr. Edward Jennings, president of the university,
gave the dedicatory remarks, citing the value of the collection
to students and film historians. The space in which it was located
was identified as the Mary A. Rupe Alcove.
Mary Rupe, whose dedication for many years as Secretary-Treasurer of the Film Council of Greater Columbus, helped to make the Columbus International Film & Video Festival one of the most effective and well organized competitions for non-theatrical productions in the country.
The purpose of this collection is to encourage scholarly study of the photographic and electronic media of information, art, and entertainment genres. It contains a wealth of documentary and informational film and video research. The collection has been used as a data base for Master's theses and Ph.D. dissertations as well as general research.
The collection consists of Chris and Bronze Plaque Award-winning productions from the Columbus International Film & Video Festival competitions. Additions to the collection are made annually by our festival winners. We encourage current and previous winners of the Chris Award to donate tapes of their productions for inclusion. We believe that it is very important to enlarge, maintain, and provide greater accessibility to these significant works.
During 1995, the collection was moved to the Film Council's premises in Worthington, Ohio. In 1996, a larger suite was acquired to accommodate our growth, and provide a better facility for the collection. In 2002 the collection was transferred to the Ohio State University Archives, where they are archived professionally and available for viewing.
We believe that it is important to provide this opportunity for your productions to continue their influence and possibly find larger audiences. We understand that the average "life-time" of an educational work can be as short as five years. Some topics become obsolete even before they are completed! However, in this one facility, there is a site where your works can be collected, catalogued, and maintained with the respect they deserve.
We will be investigating new digital systems with which to assure long term preservation of these priceless and important archives of knowledge.
As we strive to meet the challenges which this ambitious undertaking entails, we will be seeking funds to cover the costs which the additional space and equipment require. Donations to this exciting venture are fully tax deductible.
