In the fourth edition of Reciprocal, the Asian Film Archive (AFA) marks its inaugural collaboration with the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA). While the two institutions have vastly different collections, they are equally committed to the preservation and presentation of the moving image.  

Join Elena Guest (Senior Curator, NFSA) and Grant Heinrich (Product Manager, NFSA) in a conversation with AFA as they delve into the evolving role of archives in the digital age and the collaborative spirit behind Reciprocal, which fosters cross-cultural exchange through archival film. They will discuss the NFSA Restores programme, highlighting significant restorations from Australia’s audiovisual heritage. They will also share insights into NFSA’s cutting-edge editorial, search, and discovery tools—innovations that are reshaping how the public accesses and engages with the archive’s vast collection. 

The session will be hosted and moderated by Chew Tee Pao (Senior Archivist, AFA). This discussion will stream live online via AFA’s Facebook on Wednesday, 18 Jun 2025 at 6pm (GMT+8). 

About the Speakers

Elena Guest is a Senior Curator at the NFSA. She manages the NFSA Restores Program and delivers projects derived from the NFSA Collection such as the commission of WINHANGANHA with Wiradjuri artist Jazz Money. She has worked in the film and television industry for over 30 years including as a program manager at Screen Australia, as an events and festival administrator, programmer and director, as a film and television producer and teacher, and in film exhibition and distribution

Grant Heinrich is the product manager for Search and Discovery at the NFSA. He uses a combination of transcription, new forms of search tool and editorial interfaces to make the NFSA collection more accessible. His career includes media, tech and the music industry. Previously he has been one of the BBC News Labs innovation team, and an artist manager who launched the career of musician Max Cooper.

Moderator
Chew Tee Pao has been with the Asian Film Archive (AFA) since 2009. As Senior Archivist, Tee Pao plans AFA’s preservation strategies and oversees the development of film collections, as well as curating various film programmes to showcase these collections. He also selects and oversees AFA’s film restorations. His publications on film preservation include an article in NANG magazine and a co-written chapter on “Independent Digital Filmmaking and its Impact on Film Archiving in Singapore” for the book Singapore Cinema: New Perspectives (2017).

Screenings part of Reciprocal 2025 in collaboration with the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) run from 6 – 29 June 2025 at Oldham Theatre. Learn more and get tickets.