The Annual EUscreen Symposium, co-hosted by EUscreen and FINA, will take place on 8–9 April at the Filmoteka Narodowa – Instytut Audiowizualny (FINA) in Warsaw. Under the theme “Reframing Openness: Empowering Authenticity and Reuse in Audiovisual Heritage,” this year’s edition invites participants to critically examine how openness is being redefined in a rapidly evolving technological, legal, and social environment.
Audiovisual heritage institutions today face a complex balancing act: safeguarding archival authenticity and professional standards while responding to growing expectations for access, reuse, and participation. The symposium will explore how archives can remain trustworthy custodians of memory while embracing innovation, collaborative practices, and new digital tools. Particular attention will be paid to the tensions between copyright frameworks and open access ambitions, as well as to emerging models of co-creation and shared stewardship.
Artificial intelligence will be a central focus of discussion. Participants will reflect on the transformative potential of AI in areas such as automated description, metadata enrichment, discovery systems, and interpretative practices — while also addressing the ethical risks, biases, and accountability challenges these technologies introduce. The programme will consider how AI-generated content and machine-assisted workflows impact archival integrity and professional responsibility.
The event will also foreground inclusive and community-driven approaches that foster plural narratives and empower users not merely as audiences, but as active contributors and co-stewards of audiovisual heritage. By bringing together professionals, researchers, rights experts, technologists, and cultural practitioners, the symposium creates a dynamic space for exchange across disciplines.
Through keynote lectures, panel discussions, and collaborative dialogue, the Annual EUscreen Symposium offers an opportunity to rethink the meaning of openness and to imagine sustainable, ethical, and forward-looking strategies for the future of audiovisual archives.
