Abstract/Résumé/Resumen
The Brazilian Cinemateca history is linked, since its beginning, to the idea that the preservation of the historical and cultural patrimony is a fundamental step to extend the access to knowledge. Founded in the 1940s, it was incorporated by the Ministry of Culture only in 1984. At that moment, the cultural politics tried to decentralize its main preservation function and to enlarge the universe of the cultural heritage on which the government actions should rest on. Since its creation, the institution struggles to maintain and preserve the Brazilian films, and nowadays, it holds the biggest collection of Latin America.