The Yugoslav Film Archive, Jugoslovenska kinoteka, was founded in 1949 by the Cinema Committee of what was then the Federal People’s Republic of Yugoslavia. In today’s Republic of Serbia, the Yugoslav Film Archive is a national institution, the key organization concerned with the preservation of an important cultural asset – namely, film materials.
National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia has on September 6th 2023 passed the Law on Film and Other Audiovisual Heritage, which comprehensively regulates the protection of film and audiovisual material as an extremely important segment of cultural heritage. The Yugoslav Film Archive is defined as the Central Institution for the Protection and Preservation of Film and Other Audiovisual Heritage, and its official name is the State Audiovisual Archive of Serbia, The Yugoslav Film Archive.
Kinoteka’s Archive was founded in 1949, at the same time as the institution itself, as its main organizational unit.
The Yugoslav Film Archive has a specialized professional library, the only one of its kind in the country and significant even by world standards.
