For more than a decade Kiel has hosted an archaeology film festival that is both unique for Germany and Northern Europe and respected around the world. I am speaking of course of CINARCHEA. Every two years the state capital of Schleswig-Holstein, which does not exactly radiate historical charm, becomes the centre of focus for film-making archaeologists, archaeological film makers and an enthralled public. For the seventh time this most special of all Schleswig-Holstein film festivals brings cinemagraphic delights about epochs long gone, and cultures vanished to the silver screen, and brings to life that which still remains.

Nevertheless, the festival is certainly not antiquated. This is illustrated by the fact that archaeological film employs all the chicanery of modern cinematography and film technology, and as such has arrived in the forward media landscape. It uses actors to portray historical events. In the current German vernacular, we call this "Re-Enactment". Computer generated film sequences and simulations have also become not unusual. Even product placement has reached archaeological film - there are no pan shots across an excavation site without the obligatory all terrain vehicle clearly in view. This also demonstrates that this genre of film long ago left the ivory towers of science and has reached wide public interest.

It has always been the goal of CINARCHEA to contribute to the further development of archaeological film and to bring scientific insight to the people without debasing it. As has been the case in the last few years, this festival will also ignite discourse around archaeology and film. This has already materialised primarily if you consider the title of the symposium to take place in 2006: "New Paths in Archaeological Film Making - Longer, prettier, trendier, but is it better?". As such it is the organizers' intention to take an approach that is critical of the media. Visitors to the festival, who ask the questions about how the medium is arranged technically and how knowledge is conveyed, are not touching on bygone topics but on current and central questions about our information and media landscape.

The ULR is happy to promote those who set such ambitious goals and as such contribute to the further development of film culture. For twelve years now, since the festival was established in Kiel, the ULR has been participating in the success of the festival. During this time, the festival has become a trademark that has stamped archaeological film as a genre. I wish the organizers as much success this year as they have had in previous years, I wish the audience members, enlightening entertainment and to all the all participants, I wish you exciting presentations and discussions.

Gernot Schumann
Direktor der Unabhängigen Landesanstalt für Rundfunk und neue Medien (ULR)