It has been a momentous year for the Federation, but it was almost a calamitous one.

Memberships fell in a majority of societies. Income from subscriptions remained virtually static, at a time when domestic inflation and international exchange rates were having a grievous effect on our ability to buy the new films we need. But thanks to a major extension of the Federation director's professional responsibilities, our overall income was substantially increased, from an outside scarce which is directly relevant to the Federation's own aim and objectives.

As you will know, the Federation has a productive and long-standing relationship with the Wellington Film Society, whereby our director spends part of his working year as programme director of the Wellington Film Festival. During 1984, the working committee accepted an invitation from the Auckland Film Festival for our director to take on the same duties for the Auckland event. This was not only a logical development, but it was also a very welcome one, specially as the Auckland Film Festival agreed to share its operating surplus with the Federation, as an acknowledgement of our particular expertise.

Furthermore, Kerridge Odeon and Amalgamated also invited our director to programme the touring film festival which takes the best of the Auckland and Wellington seasons to Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton and Palmerston North. The overall festival circuit is now, therefore, programmed entirely by the Federation, and the sharing of expenses is invaluable. The new system worked extremely well everywhere, with Auckland earning record attendances and unanimous public acclaim. We must congratulate our director not only for accepting these extra responsibilities, but also for carrying them out so well.

Our new treasurer will be reporting on how valuable our share of festival surpluses has been for the Federation. Without this extra source of funding, we could not have provided a full programme for 1985. We would even have been hard-pressed to maintain our full time office.

But this new source of funding must not be looked on as the only means of the Federation's survival. It is crucially important that societies work to increase their memberships once more. The drastic declines suffered by a majority of societies - which the director will be detailing in his report - must be arrested in the new financial year. As usual, I expect the new working committee to monitor memberships closely, and to seek to encourage every society's committee to find a new vigour in the search for members.

One of the past year's efforts to generate higher membership levels for 1985 was a full day's seminar on the subject of publicity and programing, which was organised by the working committee in October. Eight hours of lively discussion resulted in many new directions for societies and the Federation to follow. The director will also be reporting on this in more detail. It was a very positive and encouraging day.

The working committee met on four occasions during 1984 in February, April, August and October.

The new festival involvement was a major topic of discussion at the three principal meetings. The committee was aware from the start of the year that subscription income was falling short of our needs, and that a new source of finance was desperately needed. Members realised that an extension of our involvement with film festivals had the potential to give us a worthwhile financial gain, as well as being a logical development of our traditional activities. The director's extended responsibilities were approved at the first full meeting of the year. At this time the committee also approved the employment of a full time assistant in the Federation office, with Festival income paying the first six months of this new position.

At the August meeting, the working committee received the director's report on the Auckland and Wellington film festivals. And at the final meeting, the report on the travelling festivals indicated that our new involvement had indeed been a success, both critically and financially. The committee recorded its congratulations to the director, and also authourised him to negotiate for a more official role for the Auckland Society in future Auckland Film Festivals. We look forward to continuing co-operation in this area.

I have already said that our new treasurer will be reporting on the income received from festival surpluses, and what this means. I note, however, that efforts to secure funding from more traditional sources have continued to meet a negative response. The Arts Council's film involvement remains restricted to funding films by experimental directors; its continuing failure to accept any responsibility for the wider area of film culture in our country remains a continuing disappointment. If the Music Federation receives financial support to tour overseas musicians, then there should be no reason why the Film Federation should not receive similar support to tour overseas films. Also disappointing has been the failure of the Sport and Recreation authorities to accept our arguments for any worthwhile increase in their tiny subsidy to the Federation. We will keep trying in this area.

Societies have already been advised of the results of a funding survey carried out for the working committee by Helen Aldridge. Though only 11 out of 30 societies responded to her questionnaire, I hope that more than this number have taken action on her recommendations, which have the full support of the working committee. Societies will be invited later today to report on their success with funding applications to local Sport and Recreation Funds, to regional arts councils and local branches of savings banks.

The subject of video as a possible new technology for the Federation's affiliated societies was discussed throughout the year. The principal reservation about video remains the fact that most films are licensed only for private home use, and screenings of such cassettes to film society audiences could be in breach of licensing agreements. However, a questionnaire on this subject has been circulated by the working committee.

I must remind members that since its inception the Federation has always carried out its own negotiations direct with producers in order to obtain the necessary rights to the films which we show. Federation policy has always been to provide an annual programme of quality films which would not otherwise be available here. This policy continues. I am sure it is the right policy. We remain the only genuine alternative circuit for serious film-goers. Well over half of our total spending is committed to film acquisition and related matters.

New Zealand television's policy of screening one subtitled film every week seemed at one stage to be a direct challenge to our existence. I am happy to note that this has not proved to be the case. The experience of viewing movies on a large screen with an audience continues to be preferable to watching a movie on a small home screen in isolation. And thanks to Bill Gosden's indefatigableness it has remained possible for the Federation to offer its members a wide range of titles which have not been included in the TV schedules.

The work of programming the Federation is, however, becoming more and more difficult. And the change of emphasis which has occurred with our now substantial involvement in the annual film festivals must be born in mind as we work to ensure the survival of the Federation and the film society movement. Without the Federation, without film societies, our access to the great films of the past and the present would very rapidly disappear. The Federation has worked for almost 40 years to create interest, awareness and appreciation of the great works of cinema. This work must go on.

At the same time as the working committee welcomed Chris Prowse as our new treasurer we farewelled acting treasurer Ron Ritchie - or at least it was a farewell from a specific role in the Federation: we were happy that Ron agreed to stay on the committee as consultant. Ron Ritchie's involvement with the film society movement spans more than three decades. He has my personal gratitude for helping and advising me since my own involvement began 15 years ago. He has done an immense amount of work for the Federation.

During the year the working committee reluctantly accepted the resignation of Aline Sandilands from the presidency. Vice-president Chris Watson was voted as interim president. Aline has happily been able to rejoin us as a committee member and her work on the new Federation handbook is available for the conference to admire.

Next year will be our fortieth conference. I trust that a year from now we will be able to report on memberships once more increasing, and local committees even more involved in ensuring the survival of the film society movement.

Finally, my thanks to all the working committee members for their support and involvement. Our three meetings each year are unfailingly positive and happy experiences - even though they always seem to run long past midnight. It is a pleasure to share the decision-making with such an involved committee. And also my thanks to Federation director Bill Gosden, who continues to carry an immense workload. I hope that he doesn't feel too often that it is a thankless task. He exercises his many responsibilities with a fine judgement and a keen sense of humour. His influence is substantial. His value to the Federation and to the wider New Zealand community is very great indeed.

Lindsay Shelton

Wellington

5 February 1985

Delivered in his absence overseas

by Chris Watson