World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
A global day highlighting the importance of preserving audiovisual documents as part of humanity's collective memory.
Date27 October
TopicCulture & Heritage
Established2005
Ways to observe this day
- Watch a historical film or recording documenting an important event or era
- Visit a national archive or library that holds audiovisual materials
- Learn about cultural heritage preservation efforts in your country
- Share an old family recording or photo with historical value
In 2005, UNESCO designated October 27 as the World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, marking the anniversary of the adoption of the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images at UNESCO's General Conference in 1980, the first international framework to recognize the importance of this type of heritage.
The day raises awareness of the significance of audiovisual materials, films, sound recordings, and radio and television programs, as historical and cultural documents just as valuable as manuscripts and books, carrying living testimony to peoples' history, culture, and events. It also highlights the risks facing this heritage, including the physical deterioration of older materials, the technological obsolescence of the equipment needed to access them, and insufficient funding for archiving and digitization.
National archives, libraries, and broadcasters worldwide mark the day with screenings of rare archival material, workshops on digital preservation techniques, and discussions on the importance of making this heritage accessible to future generations.
