At 72, David Hannay has one message - if you don't acknowledge the past you have no future.
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Hannay, one of the major figures in Australian film production, will be presented with the Ken G.Hall Award tonight at Arc Cinema for his services to film preservation.
The producer has been passionate about archiving for as long as he can remember, because ''if you don't look after your heritage you don't have a future''.
He believed the National Film and Sound Archive was a priceless library of film, television and radio and a repository of renowned film-makers' past works.
''There's nothing dusty about the archive, it's full of life and passion,'' Hannay said.
''It's vital that archive of works is kept and not lost ... it is socially and culturally significant and tells us about our past.''
Hannay will also introduce the screening of his 1986 film Death of a Soldier tonight, which is being shown as part of the Canberra International Film Festival.
He said it was a classic film of its time, but also a significant work in his long career.
Death of a Soldier, a noir thriller set in 1942 and based on a true story, portrayed a military lawyer assigned to defend a psychotic killer.
Hannay vividly remembered making the movie and the ''creative forces'' behind it.
''It's a picture that has people in it who mentored me when I was young,'' he said.
''They were a significant part of my life.
''It also uses historical footage from the National Film and Sound Archive.''
Hannay's television credits extend back to Number 96 in the 1970s.
His film credits include The Man From Hong Kong, Emma's War with Lee Remick, Comrades with Vanessa Redgrave and Gross Misconduct with Naomi Watts.
The producer is ''delighted'' that his achievements are being celebrated tonight. ''To receive an award in the name of a giant like Ken G.Hall is incredibly significant,'' he said.
While Hannay said the global financial crisis had a severe impact on the independent film industry around the world, he was busy working on ''a number of things'', although he was tight-lipped about specifics.
''I work with people of the same age and others younger than my children.
''The thing about working with people half my age is I bring them experience and maturity and they bring me their energy, youth, passion and commitment.''