By Raquel Castan
Brussels, Sep 30 (IANS/EFE): Belgium's Royal Filmotheque, with more than 75,000 film titles and 200,000 movie copies in its vaults, is one of the few arts institutions in Europe that keeps silent movies with piano music alive, with almost daily screenings that are only a small part of its mission of film restoration, conservation and exhibition.

"This is a part of film history that must be preserved," curator Nicola Mazzanti told Spanish news agency Efe.

The almost daily shows are made possible thanks to more than a dozen pianists who work with the cinematheque in Brussels to keep this way of enjoying films alive.

Mazzanti, nevertheless, laments "the low attendance of the public at these screenings".

The Royal Filmotheque, founded in 1938, is a hub for the study and exhibition of movies that range from full-length feature films to documentaries and short films from the industry's beginnings to the present.

The oldest film in the collection is an 1836 short by the Lumiere brothers.

Each year, the Filmotheque adds some 2,000 titles and, according to Mazzanti, "it is one of the four or five largest collections in Europe".

The Filmotheque can also boast of its global heritage: the London and Berlin cinematheques own and preserve more titles, but they do not have as many foreign movies, including films from the US, Spain, Italy and Portugal, the curator said.

The classics collection grows with donations and bequests, and a copy of every movie made in Belgium has been stored at the Filmotheque for the past five years.

Producers contribute to this growth since this is a way for their work to be preserved.

The Royal Filmotheque occupies 12,000 sq m and includes a laboratory and a refrigeration system that keeps films in good condition.

The facility has a library specialising in cinematography, along with photos and posters, and the filmmakers' archives.