The NFSA Enterprises team supports professional reuse of Australia’s national audiovisual collection. Industry professionals, cultural organisations and independent creators can license film, television, sound recordings, documents and related materials for commercial and public-facing use.

This page outlines the main ways collection material can be licensed and accessed for professional projects, including collection research support, rights and permissions, loans and delivery options.

Collection research assistance

The national audiovisual collection is extensive, and finding the right material can be complex. The NFSA team can help you identify works, formats and related documentation that suit your project or research focus.

Where relevant, we can also provide information about copyright holders and rights status to support permission-seeking and licensing decisions.

Access to collection material

We support access to a wide range of collection material, including moving image, recorded sound, still images, documentation and objects.

Material may be accessed for use in:

• documentary and factual productions
• broadcast and streaming programs
• commercial distribution and re-release
• exhibitions and commissioned public programs
• online video content
• podcasts and other professional audio works

We can assist with locating:

• broadcast-quality audiovisual assets for new productions
• titles cleared or suitable for professional distribution or screening
• documentation and objects that support exhibitions or contextual storytelling

Access locations

Some collection material can be explored online by qualified users through NFSA Pro.

Other material is accessed in person at NFSA access centres in:

• Canberra
• Sydney
• Melbourne

The NFSA also partners with State and Territory libraries in Brisbane, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart to support access where possible.

Access to original materials

Access to original documents, artefacts and collection items is available at the NFSA headquarters in Canberra and requires prior approval.

Requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking into account preservation, handling and access requirements.

Loans

The NFSA provides loans of collection material for approved professional and cultural uses, including:

• screening loans to festivals, cinemas and eligible organisations (theatrical and non-theatrical)
• loans of original audiovisual components to depositors and distributors for commercial re-release
• loans of documentation and artefacts to galleries, libraries, archives and museums for exhibition

NFSA Pro

NFSA Pro is our secure online service for eligible industry and institutional users. Through NFSA Pro, you can:

• search the collection using advanced tools
• create and manage multiple project lists
• share lists with collaborators
• request pricing and delivery estimates
• pay for digital delivery
• communicate directly with the NFSA sales and loans team

Pro Search

Eligible NFSA Pro users can apply for access to Pro Search, which includes enhanced discovery tools such as full transcript search.

For copyright and rights management reasons, Pro Search is only available to eligible researchers and professionals. Applications can be made from within the NFSA Pro portal.

Requests for personal use

The NFSA is unable to assist with requests for collection material for personal or general-interest use.

A wide range of collection content is available free of charge on:

• nfsa.gov.au
• the NFSA YouTube channel

Many titles featured online are also available for professional licensing and reuse.