Cinemateca Brasileira Faces Financial Collapse Threatening South America's Largest Audiovisual Archive

Facing an irreversible crisis, the Cinemateca Brasileira, the largest audiovisual archive in South America, is in jeopardy due to financial difficulties. It houses over 250,000 film reels and nearly 1 million documents, including significant collections from TV Tupi and Glauber Rocha. Managed by the Fundação Roquete Pinto, the institution has accumulated a debt of 13 million Brazilian reais due to unpaid payments from the Ministry of Education. Since the pandemic, staff salaries remain unpaid, and overdue utility bills threaten electrical disconnection, endangering nitrate films. In response, the Associação Paulista de Cineastas (APACI) initiated an "SOS Cinemateca" manifesto, supported by more than 70 associations, alongside a video campaign featuring prominent personalities. Additionally, workers have begun a public fundraising effort at trabalhadoresdacb@gmail.com.