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Over the course of the past few years, the Murnau Foundation’s mandate
has been considerably expanded.
Until recently, the foundation’s primary concern was to protect the existing
inventory. However, the foundation’s activities are now of greater interest
to the public in general.
The Murnau Foundation’s competence in restoring and reconstructing old
films has transformed it into a coveted national and international partner.
Regular co-operation with film festivals, specialist institutions (such as
film archives and museums) and television stations all over the world is not only
the fruit of decades of work, but also the result of increased commitment by the
Murnau Foundation to public presentation of historical film treasures.
Technical and recording tasks (such as re-copying of nitro-film material threatened
by decay or creating a short films inventory) take place in close co-operation
with the Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv (Federal Film Archive).
The Murnau Foundation also works in close co-operation with the parent organisation
of the German film archive and film museums: the Kinematheksverbund (Film Archive
Association). The Murnau Foundation participates in the regular meetings of the
co-ordination board as well as in the specialist workgroups.
Apart from the founding members, the  Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv
(Federal Archive-Film Archive), the Deutsches
Filminstitut DIF (German Film Institute DIF) and the
Deutsche
Kinemathek - Museum für Film und Fernsehen
( German Film Archive), the film museums in Munich,
Düsseldorf, Frankfurt
am Main and Potsdam are also members of the German Kinematheksverbund.
The Murnau Foundation co-operates with the Institut
für Kino und Filmkultur (Institute for Cinema and
Film Culture) in film and political education work. The
institute, in Cologne, attributes great value particularly
to didactic work with the national-socialist film heritage
in schools and adult education institutions.
The Murnau Foundation maintains partnerships on an international level with
the Italian festival “Le Giornate del Cinema Muto” in Sacile and “Cinema
Ritrovata” in Bologna, which are considered worldwide to be the leading forums
for silent films.
Furthermore, there is international co-operation with experts, film institutions,
archives and copying workshops, specialising in collecting, restoring and presenting
historical films.
Transit
Film GmbH in Munich is a competent partner for the marketing and sales of
the films for which the foundation has the legal rights. This applies to commercial
cinema distribution, licence trading with domestic and foreign television stations,
as well as with video or DVD distributors.
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