Urge Chalanachitra Academy to restore Kannada films: Archivist Aparna Subramanian at BIFFes

Bengaluru: Noted archivist and moving-image preservationist Aparna Subramanian watched a 35 mm print of the 1976 Kannada film ‘Premada Kanike’ starring Rajkumar and Aarathi, which was projected at the open air screenings at the Bengaluru International Film Festival on Monday.

She said the print was heavily faded, which is a serious concern and urged the Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy to restore and digitise Kannada films.

She was speaking at a session titled ‘Archiving, preservation and restoration of moving images,’ at the festival on Tuesday.

Subramanian spoke on the importance of archiving films and took the audience through the process of restoring, digitising & preserving them.

She emphasised on the importance of proper storage and handling of film and magnetic media to prevent deterioration — using appropriate storage material and recommended practises like climate-controlled vaults.

Strips of 8 mm, 16 mm and 32 mm negatives & positives were circulated among the audience, explaining the process of film decay — an irreversible chemical breakdown called vinegar syndrome. Some negatives had a strong vinegar odour. 

There are many challenges of storing and preserving films even after they are restored and digitised, she says.

“Preserving the restored digital file is not enough, and one back-up is not sufficient. Preservation of the original analog is very important,” she added.

Research about mobile media preservation is going on and it may be the next big thing, she said.

Subramanian says, not all films need restoration. "If the film is in good condition, digitising it, correcting and repairing faded colour is sufficient,” she explained. She recently found a print of the cult Tamil film ‘Rakhtakanneer’ starring M R Radha and donated it to NFAI.

The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune,is organising a basic course on preservation, archiving, digitisation and restoration of films in collaboration with the National Film Archive of India (NFAI), Pune.

It will be held from Feb 23 to 27 at FTII & NFAI in Pune. The course costs Rs 3,500. On last day, participants will be taken to the restoration and archival department to observe the process.