Documentary News Letter (1944-1945)

DOCUMENTARY NEWS LETTER [9 IN THE MINDS OF MEN By Sinclair Road, Secretary of the Federation of Documentary Film Units "since wars begin in the minds of men it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed." The constitution of UNESCO begins with these words. It was adopted in November, 1945, after a three-week conference in London attended by delegates from forty-three countries. Russia was not represented, but one of the fifteen seats on the new organisation's council has been left vacant. UNESCO is one of the "specialised agencies", like the FAO, UNRRA and ILO, which the United Nations intend to bring within the framework of the Economic and Social Council "to promote solutions of international, economic, social and related problems, and international cultural and educational co-operation", as laid down in the San Francisco Charter. Like these other agencies UNESCO was established to meet an urgent need. The educational resources of Europe and the Far East have been shattered ; schools, teachers and materials gone. It was one of the main functions of the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education which met in London in 1942 to consider what help could be given in the rebuilding of the jducational systems of Europe. It was thisbody which prepared the original draft proposals for an educational and cultural organisation ; and it was on its behalf that the British Government called the ;onference in London. But it is more than short-term needs that are I n question, and UNESCO's terms of reference have been widely Irawn. "To contribute to peace and security by promoting collabora:ion among the nations through education, science and culture", nay seem a grandiloquent phrase, but at least the stresses are right, lowever obvious the strains may be. it It is interesting to compare the origin and constitution of UNESCO and those of similar League of Nations bodies. Not only iifferent circumstances, but also different ideas were at work in the wo cases. Intellectual questions were not incorporated in the Covenant of the League after the 1914-18 War, as they are in the 3an Francisco Charter. The need for a committee to encourage 'intellectual co-operation" as it was termed so pontifically, was not .aised on the League of Nations Council until 1921. Subsequently, i committee was established, an intellectual co-operation organiation, various expert committees, forty-four national committees ind two executive bodies, one at Geneva and an Institute in Paris. 7ilms, however, were not the specific concern of any of these bodies. I.iut in the meantime the Italian Government had on its own nitiative set up an International Institute of Educational Cinenatography which was recognised as an organ of the League in 928. This body tried to develop the educational uses of the film in :ach country, among other things negotiating a convention for the luty free exchange of educational films in 1933. But it was too much inder the thumb of the Italian Government; it did not achieve any "eal standing and came to an abrupt and unlamented end when taly left the League in 1937. This inter-war "intellectual co-operation" had certain marked characteristics. It was fostered by several bodies, but all of them vere restricted to intellectual questions outside the range of teaching, .n important limitation. In their work they tended to concentrate hi the exchange of specialist information among experts. Some of it ■vas valuable work but limited in effect. Attempts at reaching a vider world public usually took the form of trying to popularise the dea of international relations rather than the actual work of men's ninds. Mass media like the film were not employed as an integral >art of the work of exchanging information ; the attention paid to hem seemed more of an afterthought. This bit of history is important in understanding the way in vhich the new body has been set up. In the first place UNESCO has been constituted to deal in all intellectual matters : it is not excluded from education. Secondly, and this point was stressed repeatedly at the London conference, it is to be the means of encouraging "the common understanding of the peoples of the world", not merely understanding between experts. Finally, the use of such media of mass communication as the Press, the radio and the film, has been recognised as an essential part of this work. Given the recognition accorded to the film as one of the essential media of exchange, an immediate problem is, how can UNESCO set about developing its use on the widest possible scale? Should it aim to set up a film department with its own production unit, library and distribution service, or should it occupy the role of an initiating and co-ordinating body relying on the production and distribution services that exist in each country? Secondly, should it be concerned only with the non-theatrical use of films, or should it include cinema distribution in its plans? These questions are of particular relevance at the moment; as the Preparatory Commission of UNESCO established by the November Conference is now considering the whole question of organisation, with a special sub-committee dealing with mass media. Proposals have been submitted by various bodies including a committee representing Government departments and film organisations called together under the auspices of the BFI, and by the Federation of Documentary Film Units. It appears to be generally agreed that the creation of a central production unit within UNESCO would be inadvisable at this stage, particularly in view of the present shortage of trained technicians and equipment. There are in existence in a number of countries experienced documentary units through which UNESCO could sponsor films. In sponsoring films UNESCO would require the services of an advisory council and a director with wide first-hand experience of the production and use of documentary and educational films. Various technicians may also be necessary, but primarily UNESCO should aim to get the maximum out of existing services. On the question of a library of films there is greater room for divergence of opinion. But here, too, it would appear more practical, instead of trying to build up a collection of all existing documentary and educational films, which would make great demands in terms of staff and accommodation, for UNESCO to operate an international booking agency through which one country could book films held by libraries in other countries. In this case UNESCO should only hold copies of films which it had itself sponsored. On the question of distribution it would seem sensible if UNESCO restricted its activities to the nontheatrical field. There is an evident risk of UNESCO overlapping with UNO, which is also intending to set up a film section within its Department of Public Information. If UNO's information department is concerned with publicising UNO activities on the widest possible scale, let its film section aim at the cinema audiences of the world using all the theatrical channels which are open, newsreels, news films like "March of Time" and "World in Action" and suitable documentaries to secure the necessary coverage. UNESCO could then get on with the work which its title, constitution and the many urgent needs of the day require. It is a platitude to say that this work will require considerable energy and enterprise, but it is an encouraging sign that such media of communication as the film are to be widely employed. The recent appointment of Dr. Julian Huxley, F.R.S., as Executive Secretary of the Preparatory Commission, is a good start. He has wide interests outside his own subject and a clear understanding of the social relevancies of science and the arts and of the part which the film, the radio and the Press play in shaping the minds of men.