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Previously the ScreenSound Australia functioned as the National Historical Film and Speaking Record Library which was a part of the Commonwealth Library. In December 1935, the cabinet decided to create a separate body known as The National Film and Sound Archive. This archive was reinstated and renamed as ScreenSound Australia in the year 1999. From July 1, 2003 it was incorporated and was made a part of the Australian Film Commission.
The history of the building of ScreenSound Australia is interesting. The building was the home of Australian Institute of Anatomy from 1931 to 1984.The grand building is a typical example of ancient Greek and Roman architecture in a simplified and a modernized form. Stones and terracotta were used to construct this building. A symmetrical facade, a horizontal skyline, classical columns and a central entrance are the main features of the building.
The interiors of ScreeSound Australia marbled floor arranged in geometrical patterns. Native flora and fauna and aboriginal art motifs are used throughout the building. The black marbles used to construct the floor were specially quarried from the Acton peninsula.
The main part of the building houses a theater and a research center. Each area is decorated in geometric and various art deco patterns. This theater is the meeting place of the Canberra Film Society which is one pioneering film societies in Australia. The new rear wing of the building was opened in 1999. The new wing is designed in such a way so as to match the art deco style of the original building and special care has been taken so that it's finishing matches with the original building.
Today, the building of ScreenSound Australia is one of the richest audio visual archive, collecting, preserving and sharing the movies of Australia with the whole world.
