Film Preservation and Restoration School India
Date: 22-28 February 2015
Place: Films Division, Mumbai
Organizers: Film Heritage Foundation, in collaboration with the Film Foundation and World Cinema Project, Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, L’Immagine Ritrovata and FIAF.
In a pioneering initiative, Film Heritage Foundation, in collaboration with the Film Foundation and World Cinema Project, Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, L’Immagine Ritrovata and FIAF, conducted the first Film Preservation and Restoration School India 2015 from 22-28 February 2015 in Mumbai. The school was open to applicants from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. 53 students were selected in total.
The seven-day course consisted of a customized five-session module on film preservation developed under the aegis of FIAF by David Walsh, Head of the FIAF Technical Commission, along with Kieron Webb of the British Film Institute and Camille Blot-Wellens of FIAF; lectures by experts on film archiving and preservation from the foremost archives and studios around the world; screenings of restored films; and ten practical modules on film restoration conducted by the staff of L’Immagine Ritrovata. The course was held at the Multi-Purpose Hall in Films Division, while screenings of restored classics took place at Liberty Cinema, New Marine Lines, Mumbai.
Before the commencement of the week-long course, the 53 selected participants had to start with preparatory reading material that was shared with them online in seven sessions from 21 January to 11 February 2015. The goal of the programme was to address current issues surrounding film preservation and restoration, while providing participants with practical training in current restoration and archival best practices.
FIAF awarded two scholarships to an Indian and a Sri Lankan student. A post-School report by the latter, Dammith Fonseka, can be read HERE. At the end of the week, all students were awarded a course completion certificate by FIAF.
The event’s flyer can be downloaded HERE. The full presentation brochure of the School can be read online HERE.
The report by FIAF lecturers Camille Blot-Wellens and Kieron Webb, published in the Journal of Film Preservation #93, can be downloaded HERE.
