A limited number of prospective students (max. 16) will be selected for the programme. Through lectures, seminars and workshops, the programme introduces them to a wide range of concepts, principles and techniques of (audiovisual) archiving and presentation. In the core courses, two of which are taught in collaboration with Archival and Information Studies, students are encouraged to critically reflect on how such concepts, principles and techniques are used in a wide range of professional and institutional functions, cultures and traditions. In addition, they get acquainted with different approaches to the programming and curation of films, broadcast materials and media art objects in non-archival contexts. Students will carry out assignments individually and in small teams, with a considerable freedom to choose their own topic and perspective.

In the second semester of their programme, students can choose from a number of elective courses. They are free to take any elective offered by the Graduate School of Humanities, but the Preservation and Presentation of the Moving Image programme also offers its own, specialist course.

“This is Film! Film Heritage in Practice”, organised in collaboration with the Eye Filmmuseum and taught by its Head Curator (Prof. Giovanna Fossati), delves into current debates on film (heritage) preservation, digitization and presentation. Students consider a number of recent film heritage projects, present them to Eye’s audience and discuss them with the (international) experts responsible for them. In addition, they get involved in the preparation of Eye’ annual International Conference, in which they participate as part of their course work.

Other electives relevant to the programme are for example the courses “Archives and Legal Activism”, “Documentary Imagination,” and “Elemental Media.”

In the second year, students do an internship in the Netherlands or abroad. The internship, which includes a substantial research component, centres on a project the student carries out semi-independently, supervised by a staff member at the host institution and one at the university. Projects may concern, for example, the identification or cataloguing of films, television productions, or video/media art; management of nitrate or acetate films; digital file management and storage; film restoration (analogue or digital); digital mastering; providing access to archival material; creating and managing metadata, linked data and/or AI; (online) curating; programming for film festivals; production of educational projects; development of archival policies. The programme offers internships through its partner organizations, Eye Filmmuseum, Netherlands Institute of Sound and Vision, and LIMA, and institutions that are part of its network, such as the Cinemathek/Royal Belgian Film Archive (Brussels, Belgium), L’Immagine Ritrovata film laboratory (Bologna, Italy), the Austrian Film Museum (Vienna, Austria), International Film Festival Rotterdam, and International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam, among others. The programme also helps students pursue internship possibilities outside of this network. The range of internship options varies from year to year.

Students taking a dual Master's programme may in some cases be eligible for a reimbursement. 

In the second semester, students will also write their Master’s thesis. This thesis is the written report of a research project carried out under the supervision of an academic staff member connected to the programme. The thesis’ topic must be mutually agreed upon by the student and the academic adviser. Its subject is relevant to the field of media studies, and more specifically, the preservation and/or presentation of moving images and/or sound. The final text is between 17,000 and 23,000 words long.

Enrolled students will have access to select screenings, conferences and/or other special events at the programme’s main partner institutions. Those same institutions also offer opportunities for participation in short-term extra-curricular projects (for example, the annual ‘Nitrate Control week’, in which students join forces with archival staff to assess the preservation state of the materials in Eye’s nitrate vaults) and part-time internships during the first year of study.

Students will also be invited to join the local Student Chapter of AMIA, the Association of Moving Image Archivists (the largest international professional association of its kind). The local chapter was set up in 2013 by a group of programme participants. They organise extracurricular events, promote the activities of AV archivists among fellow-students and liaise with professionals across the world. 

For more information about the Student Chapter’s activities, consult:

The Master’s Programme in Preservation and Presentation of the Moving Image cooperates with a variety of AV institutions, both in the Netherlands and abroad. These range from media archives, film and contemporary art museums, and festivals, to distribution agencies, broadcasting companies and film studios. Three institutions have a special status within the programme, as they are contracted to contribute to its core courses on a regular basis:

Eye Filmmuseum

The Netherlands’ centre for film culture, housed in an architectural landmark along the bank of the river IJ in Amsterdam. Eye cares for an extensive, world-famous film collection and has valuable expertise in restoration, research, educational programmes, and international promotion and marketing. It explores new methods and media to inspire young and old, from film professionals to movie lovers.
Eye (Dutch)  /  Eye (English)

Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid)

The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision (Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid) is one of the largest audiovisual archives in Europe. The Institute preserves a major part of the Dutch audiovisual heritage and makes it accessible to potential users. The collection totals over 1000,000 hours of television, radio, music and film. Apart from functioning as an audiovisual archive for the national broadcasting corporations and others, it also offers a unique media experience for its visitors.
The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision

LIMA, Living Media Art Foundation

Founded by experts from the former Netherlands Media Art Institute (NIMk), LIMA is the international platform for sustainable access to media art. Its experts work towards the maintenance of video, digital and performance artworks to ensure their future presentation. The foundation offers storage and digitisation services, collaborates with artists, museums and universities to carry out research in media art preservation and access, and distributes its own collection.
LIMA