Mr. Sid Ganis and Miss Tessa Edelwine at a press conference, during the 47th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2016), in Panaji, Goa on November 24, 2016.The National Film Archives of India (NFAI) will foster its collaboration with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to preserve, conserve and restore more number of Indian films in future, said Senthil Rajan, director of Directorate of Film Festivals here.
The academy has been running an active preservation program that started in 1991 and it has stored a total of 92,000 films in its vaults.
Sid Ganis, former president, said the academy has been developing a very close relationship with the Indian film makers through the International Film Festival of India (IFFI).
“In the past few years, the academy is getting to know Indian celebrities and film makers and expanding their relationship with Indian film industry,” he said, addressing media here as part of the IFFI. He said the academy is not just for America or Hollywood alone, but about film makers and artistes across the world.
Tessa Idlewine, preservationist at the AMPAS, said preference for preservation is given to the Oscar nominated films. Apart from the Oscar nominated films, the ones which are unique, important and decaying are also preserved.
Commenting over the preservation of the work of Satyajit Ray, Tessa said that the AMPAS is working continuously to save the artwork of the maestro and has saved his trilogy ‘Apu’, though the negatives of the films were almost burnt. Idlewine held a workshop on Restoration of Satyajit Ray Preservation Project at the 47th IFFI.
