Short Term Lease: Examining Impermanent Archival Storage Space at the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre

This thesis is a case study project that examines the causes and presented solutions for impermanent archival storage space at the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC), a Toronto-based artist-run centre. Adequate storage space is vital to the continued preservation of audiovisual collections. As such, this project aims to understand this present crisis in audiovisual preservation, the precarity of independently produced audiovisual materials held in artist-run and independent distribution centre archives, and advocate for improvements to the present governmental arts funding structure. To do this, this project examines the impacts of impermanent archival storage space on audiovisual collections, the role of relevant funding bodies in impermanent archival storage space, and the relationship between urban redevelopment and impermanent archival storage space.