Videomatica film loan revival

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Thanks to a donation/purchase agreement brokered by Yosef Wosk, a former SFU Continuing Education director and philanthropist, the rental portion of an iconic Vancouver video treasure house is being reincarnated. Wosk’s gift is enabling SFU's and UBC's libraries to make available to their immediate campus communities, as well as the public, thousands of prized international films that used to be rentable through Videomatica video store.

The exceptional collection includes feature, cult and art, and foreign films, rare documentaries and literary adaptations from more than 75 countries.

A West Fourth Avenue institution for almost 30 years, Videomatica is a sales-only operation now. When the store closed its rental outlet in 2011, UBC received about 28,000 movie DVDs, 4,000 VHS tapes and 900 Blu-rays. SFU received more than 2,500 documentaries in a variety of formats. A loan progarm at UBC and SFU will make this resource widely accessible again.

At the same time, the documentary selection will grow under SFU’s stewardship as a result of a $5,000 pilot project. SFU and Videomatica Sales will collaborate on acquiring additional titles selected by the store’s film experts and SFU librarians. The library has already purchased more than 175 movies since the initial collection was donated.

SFU Library Services also plans to offer a free family-friendly screening to launch its newly acquired documentary collection, which is based at the Burnaby campus. This event, scheduled for the spring semester, will be open to the public.

Report courtesy SFU Public Affairs