Belgavox

Belgavox is a Belgian film production company best known for the Belgavox cinema newsreels that were screened in Belgian movie theatres between 1945 and 1994. It was founded in 1945 by Georges Fannoy, who had already established the Société belge de distribution cinématographique (SBDC) in 1937 to distribute feature films and the French Éclair Journal newsreels in Belgian cinemas. Belgavox was created to give Belgians their own domestic information channel on film, offering audiences a national and international panorama of current events. Over its decades of activity, Belgavox built one of the most important cinematheques in Belgium, holding roughly 5,000 kilometres of 35 mm film and around 2,500 newsreel issues that capture a large part of twentieth-century political, cultural, sporting and everyday life. As television grew in importance as an information medium, Belgavox progressively replaced its cinema newsreels with magazine formats and shifted toward thematic programmes and documentary films. The company has also been active in research on improving archive management, both in terms of physical media and semantic description. Belgavox's history is closely tied to the Fannoy family. Georges Fannoy founded the Association internationale de la presse filmée (INNA) in 1956, bringing together newsreel producers from around the world; Belgavox played an active role in the association, regularly exchanging reports with other members. In 1955 Belgavidéo was created to handle the international programming of Belgian television news for RTB (now RTBF) and BRT (now VRT). Pierre Fannoy created the Congolese television RTNC and Congovox, the African equivalent of Belgavox, in 1965, and is also credited as an inventor of video on demand (1960), then called Sélévision. In 1985, with the help of his sons Philippe and Vincent, he supplied the nascent Cameroonian television CRTV-Télé with the teams needed to produce its programmes. Today Belgavox is known both as a production house for thematic programmes and documentaries and as a custodian of a major audiovisual heritage collection. Its archive has been the subject of digitisation and online-access initiatives reported in the Belgian press in the 1990s and 2000s.

Belgavox's origins lie in the Société belge de distribution cinématographique (SBDC), founded in 1937 by Georges Fannoy to distribute feature films and the French Éclair Journal newsreels in Belgian cinemas. In 1945, Fannoy founded Belgavox to meet the Belgian public's need for their own information channels. From 1945 to 1994, the Belgavox cinema newsreels were shown in Belgian movie theatres, offering a national and international panorama of current events. In 1955, Belgavidéo was created to ensure the international programming of Belgian television news for RTB (now RTBF) and BRT (now VRT). In 1956, Georges Fannoy founded the Association internationale de la presse filmée (INNA), bringing together newsreel producers from around the world; Belgavox always played an active role within it, regularly exchanging reports from around the world with other members. In 1965, Pierre Fannoy created the Congolese television RTNC and Congovox, the African equivalent of Belgavox. He is also credited as the inventor of video on demand (1960), then called Sélévision. In 1985, with the help of his sons Philippe and Vincent, he supplied the nascent Cameroonian television CRTV-Télé with the teams needed to produce its programmes. The rise of television and its growing role as an information instrument led Belgavox to change the formula of its news output: newsreels shown in cinemas were progressively replaced by magazines. Belgavox now focuses on producing thematic programmes and documentary films, and is active in research to improve archive management, both in terms of physical media and semantic description. The Belgavox image bank is one of the most important cinematheques in Belgium, containing some 5,000 kilometres of 35 mm film. A large part of twentieth-century political, cultural, sporting and everyday life is preserved on the film of some 2,500 newsreel issues.

• 1994

  Belgavox cinema newsreels cease after nearly five decades of screenings in Belgian cinemas.

• 1985

  With his sons Philippe and Vincent, Pierre Fannoy supplies teams to the nascent Cameroonian television CRTV-Télé.

• 1965

  Pierre Fannoy creates the Congolese television RTNC and Congovox, the African equivalent of Belgavox.

• 1960

  Pierre Fannoy is credited as inventor of video on demand, then called Sélévision.

• 1956

  Georges Fannoy founds the Association internationale de la presse filmée (INNA).

• 1955

  Belgavidéo is created to handle international programming of Belgian television news for RTB and BRT.

• 1945

  Belgavox is founded to provide Belgians with their own information channels.

• 1937

  Georges Fannoy founds the Société belge de distribution cinématographique (SBDC), distributing feature films and Éclair Journal newsreels in Belgium.

Belgian producer of cinema newsreels and documentaries, and custodian of a major national film archive.

• Belgavox cinema newsreels

  Newsreels shown in Belgian cinemas from 1945 to 1994, covering national and international events.

• Thematic programmes

  Television programmes produced by Belgavox after the decline of cinema newsreels.

• Documentary films

  Documentary production is a core activity of the company.

• Belgavox film archive

  One of Belgium's largest cinematheques, holding about 5,000 km of 35 mm film and some 2,500 newsreel issues.

1. 1Belgavox - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Belgavox - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org
3. 3Belgavox en mue technologique: un château d'images - Le Soirlesoir.be
4. 4Archives: numériser pour pérenniser - Le Soirlesoir.be
5. 5Belgavox - L'Avenirlavenir.net
6. 6Belgavox met ses contenus à l'heure du web - La Librelalibre.be