Asian Film Archive

What Asian Film Archive does

Asian Film Archive is a Singapore-based non-profit organization founded in 2005 with the mission to save, share, and explore the art of Asian cinema. It preserves and provides public access to a curated collection of works by critically acclaimed Asian filmmakers spanning the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, and beyond, including Lino Brocka, Lav Diaz, Eric Khoo, Anthony Chen, and Kirsten Tan. The archive operates the Oldham Theatre as its screening venue within the National Library Building and houses reference materials at the Lee Kong Chian Reference Library at Level 8 of the same building.

Its core technology stack is built around professional film preservation: 24-hour temperature and climate-controlled vaults, conservation expertise across physical formats from 35mm/16mm/8mm/Super 8 to DigiBeta, BetaSP, MiniDV, VHS, HD, DVD and born-digital materials, and a public-facing online catalogue at catalogue.asianfilmarchive.org. Its products and programmes include the 'Submit Your Film' service for filmmaker deposits, the annual Singapore Shorts showcase, the Reciprocal collaborative film programme with partner archives, the Asian Cinema Digest monthly editorial, the Despatches blog, the #SaveOurFilm preservation campaign, the Friends of AFA membership programme, and a global e-commerce shop.

The organization's revenue model combines subscription membership fees, one-time ticket sales at Oldham Theatre, merchandise sales via the online shop, and donations; it provides free archival preservation services to filmmakers, bearing documentation, logistics, safekeeping and maintenance costs itself. Customer segments span film enthusiasts and researchers (primary), Asian filmmakers seeking preservation of their works (primary), and the general public (secondary), with the go-to-market centred on event-driven programming at Oldham Theatre, collaborative exhibitions with international archives, online content, and a multi-channel social media presence.

Name

Asian Film Archive

Legal name

Asian Film Archive

Website

https://asianfilmarchive.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Asian Film Archive is a Singapore-based non-profit founded in 2005 that preserves, digitizes, and exhibits Asian cinema, operating the Oldham Theatre and an online catalogue to serve filmmakers, researchers, and film enthusiasts across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Archive Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Archival Preservation & Conservation (Handling, Storage, Environmental Controls) (MPADAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Long-Term Digital Preservation Services (Format Migration, Integrity Checks) (MPAHAGAD), Archive Restoration & Digitization (Film/Video/Audio Scanning, Remastering) (MPAHAGAI), Access & Distribution for Archives (Restored Masters, DCP Creation, Screening Deliverables) (MPADAMAJ)

Keywords

• Film preservation services
• Cinema archive
• Film exhibition
• Moving image collection
• Cultural heritage preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees (Friends of AFA): Annual membership program providing benefits including discounted tickets, complimentary tickets, and merchandise discounts. Members receive preferential access to screenings and exclusive content.
2. Ticket Sales: Revenue from film screenings at Oldham Theatre and other venues. Tickets are sold online through the website and at the Oldham Theatre box office with cash, PayNow, and NETS payment options.
3. Merchandise Sales: Online shop selling film-related merchandise, publications, and memorabilia. Ships globally and offers self-pickup at Oldham Theatre.
4. Donations: The archive accepts donations to support its mission of preserving Asian cinema heritage. Donors can contribute financially to support archival activities.
5. Film Submission Processing: Free preservation services for filmmakers who submit films to the archive. The archive bears all costs relating to documentation, logistics, safekeeping, maintenance and promotion of deposited films.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Asian Film Archive is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving, cataloguing, and exhibiting Asian cinema. It maintains a curated collection of films from award-winning Asian filmmakers, operates the Oldham Theatre as a dedicated screening venue in Singapore, and offers free archival preservation services to filmmakers depositing their works in supported physical and digital formats.

Product overview

Asian Film Archive operates as a film preservation and exhibition organization offering a suite of interconnected services. Its core offerings include an online searchable catalogue for accessing the film collection, Oldham Theatre as a physical screening venue, and the Submit Your Film service for filmmaker submissions. The organization runs signature programmes including the annual Reciprocal collaborative film programme with partner archives, the Singapore Shorts showcase for local short films, and the Asian Cinema Digest monthly content compilation. Additional services include the #SaveOurFilm preservation campaign, Friends of AFA membership programme with ticketing benefits, an e-commerce shop, and the Despatches content platform featuring articles and reviews.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Online Catalogue Online searchable catalogue providing public access to the Asian Film Archive's holdings, including Asian films, filmmaker works, stills, posters, storyboards, scripts, and articles, used by researchers and film enthusiasts.
• Oldham Theatre Physical cinema venue operated by Asian Film Archive at the National Library Building in Singapore for film screenings, events, talks, and curated programmes open to the general public.
• Submit Your Film Service allowing Asian filmmakers to deposit their works for archival preservation, supporting formats including 35mm, 16mm, 8mm, Super 8, DigiBeta, BetaSP, MiniDV, VHS, HD, DVD, and born-digital materials. AFA bears documentation, logistics, safekeeping, maintenance and promotion costs.
• Reciprocal Annual collaborative film programme spotlighting the archival collections of AFA and partnering film archives (e.g., Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive, Korean Film Archive), featuring curated screenings, talks, and special presentations.
• Singapore Shorts Annual showcase celebrating Singapore short films, featuring new works selected by a panel, online discussions with filmmakers, critical writings, and guest-curated programmes.
• Friends of AFA Membership Annual membership programme offering benefits including discounted tickets to screenings, complimentary tickets, merchandise discounts, and preferential access to screenings and exclusive content for film enthusiasts.
• Shop Online merchandise store offering film-related products, publications, and memorabilia, with international shipping and self-pickup available at Oldham Theatre box office.
• Asian Cinema Digest Monthly editorial compilation featuring Asian cinema news, screenings, essays, podcasts, articles, and calls for submissions curated for the international film community.
• #SaveOurFilm Campaign Awareness campaign dedicated to the preservation of films, raising public consciousness about the importance of archiving Asian cinematic heritage and deterioration risks.
• Despatches

Quantifiable outcome

• Free film preservation services provided to filmmakers - archive bears all documentation, logistics, safekeeping, maintenance and promotion costs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive (FCPLFA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2026Reciprocal 2026 collaborative program showcasing selections from both archives' collections. The program highlights cinema as a space where filmmakers rethink form, identity, and emotion. FCPLFA, established in 1996, houses over 3,300 titles representing over 30 Asian countries. This marks a key international partnership for shared archival preservation goals.
• SOAS University of London LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Collaboration featuring short films by women filmmakers from the global majority as part of SOAS Library programming, in partnership with Girls in Film and Cinelogue.
• National Library SingaporecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for film collection access. VHS tapes containing Singapore Video Competition entries are housed in the Lee Kong Chian Reference Collection at the National Library. Films can be accessed and watched in the screening room at Level 8 of the National Library Building.
• People's AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal co-organizer of the Singapore Video Competition (1983), the first national short filmmaking competition in Singapore, providing early platform for filmmakers including Eric Khoo, Haresh Sharma, and Jack Neo.
• Singapore Cine & Video ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Singapore Video Competition with People's Association. Former president Michael Fu supported AFA's re-digitization project of surviving VHS competition entries.
• Nagase Film FoundationminorOthersProvided support enabling English subtitles for Tarō Nakayama's films screened at Reciprocal 2026, marking the first time these works have been screened outside Japan in almost 65 years.
• Korean Film ArchivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner archive in Reciprocal series programming, showcasing films that present literal or figurative cinematic voyages. The 2024 collaboration featured 12 films from both collections exploring themes of journey and self-discovery.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Internet Archive (Moving Image Archive): Non-profit digital library preserving born-digital and digitized moving image content with public online access. Adjacent preservation mission with overlapping digitization and public-access ethos, though operating at vastly different scale and digital-only.

Broad incumbents

• Eye Filmmuseum: Dutch museum combining film museum, archive, and cinema venue focused on cinematic heritage and exhibition. Comparable as an integrated archive-and-screen institution, though broader in scope and larger in scale than AFA.
• National Film Archive of Japan: Japan's national film archive under the National Museum of Modern Art, dedicated to preserving Japanese and Asian cinema. A larger incumbent with overlapping mandate but broader national scope and deeper institutional resources than AFA.
• Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI): New York-based museum dedicated to the art, history, and technology of film, television, and digital media. Comparable as an integrated exhibition-and-preservation institution, though focused on moving image broadly rather than Asian cinema specifically.
• BFI National Archive: British Film Institute's national archive, one of the world's largest film archives with preservation, restoration, and public exhibition functions. Comparable mandate to safeguard cinematic heritage; much larger in scale and resources.
• Cinémathèque Française: Major French film archive and museum founded by Henri Langlois, dedicated to film preservation and exhibition. Highly comparable archive-and-cinema operating model, though broader in scope (global cinema) and far larger in scale than AFA.
• Academy Museum / Academy Film Archive: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences operates both a film museum and an archive preserving Hollywood and global cinema. Comparable in combining museum, archive, and public programming functions, though far larger and US-focused.

Direct peers

• Korean Film Archive (KOFA): National film archive of South Korea focused on preservation, restoration, and exhibition of Korean cinema. Direct peer and active programming partner via the Reciprocal collaborative programme, sharing similar mandate to safeguard and showcase Asian cinematic heritage.
• Singapore Film Society: Long-running Singapore organization promoting film appreciation through screenings and educational programmes. Direct domestic peer sharing AFA's cinephile audience and event-driven engagement model, though without the archival preservation remit.
• Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archive (FCPLFA): Japanese regional film archive housing over 3,300 titles from 30+ Asian countries, established 1996. Direct Reciprocal partner with AFA for collaborative screenings, with comparable scope, preservation focus, and curatorial mission around Asian cinema.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/afa_archive
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/AsianFilmArchive
• Facebookfacebook.com/asianfilmarchive
• Instagraminstagram.com/asianfilmarchive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asian Film Archive