Moving Images

The Provincial Archives recognizes the intrinsic value of moving images as historical, cultural, and social records. The moving picture has mesmerized and entertained people in the province since the turn of the century. The Government of Saskatchewan, wishing to promote agricultural development, quickly became aware of the power of this medium. In 1913, it dispatched Regina photographer Edgar Rossie to New York to learn the craft of film making. Saskatchewan also became the home of the renowned cinematographer Dick Bird, who arrived in the province in 1919 and devoted the next fifty years to documenting the people, institutions and natural habitat of the province. Since the arrival of television in the 1950s, and with the development of a flourishing independent film and video industry in recent years, a wide ranging interest exists in documents that move and speak.

The Provincial Archives’ sizable moving image collection consists of film and video tape items. The Archives is the official repository for government film materials which constitute about 50% of our moving image holdings. The remainder of the collection has been acquired from corporate bodies, private organizations and individuals. Several thousand television news items produced by CFQC Saskatoon, CKCK Regina and CBKT (CBC) Regina, 1956-1979, are also held by the Archives. The greater portion of the film collection is 16 mm safety print stock from the 1950s to the 1970s. There are, however, many significant items, such as those found in the John Poole Collection, from the 1920s through to the 1940s. Shot at Fort San in 1935, Fight Tuberculosis is the oldest surviving talkie in the collection.

Video recordings date from the 1970s to the present and include the proceedings of the Saskatchewan Legislature since 1982, productions of the Departments of Education, Agriculture, Tourism and SaskMedia. Also available are off-air recordings of the evening news of CKCK Regina (1983-present); CBKT Regina (1984-present); Global Regina (formerly STV, 1987-present); and CBKT Saskatoon (1986-1992).

To access these records, begin your search in our online catalogue.  However, as not all of our Collection is described in the catalogue as of yet, you are also advised to contact Reference and Outreach Services.

Cliquez ici pour obtenir la version française de cette page.