An ongoing and key part of IFFO’s celebration of Canadian and world cinema is its one-day annual conference, SAVE AS, dedicated to examining issues of preservation, restoration, distribution, and exhibition of the always-endangered world cinema heritage. SAVE AS consists of expert panel discussions, case studies of restored cinema classics, and premiere screenings of those restored classic films. At IFFO, we are committed to cinema’s past as well as its present and future.
In its inaugural edition, SAVE AS 2022 showcased the publication of New Light on Canadian Heritage Film, a first-of-its-kind study offering an overview of the network of players involved in the conservation, dissemination and promotion of Canadian heritage cinema. Focusing on activity in Canada and France, the event attracted a vibrant cross-section of Canadian and international film archivists, distributors, exhibitors, and streaming services such as Arbelos Films, Cannes Classics, Janus Films, the Criterion Channel, Éléphant : mémoire du cinéma québécois, the National Film Board, and Library and Archives Canada.
With the support of Telefilm Canada, SAVE AS continues to grow by creating a forum and raising awareness of the urgency and importance of preserving, restoring, distributing, and exhibiting film classics.
Taking place at the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) during the two-week run of the International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO), the conference’s 2023 international focus was African cinema. At the event, African cinema scholar Professor Aboubakar Sanogo led a panel discussion on the efforts being made to restore, preserve, and disseminate the classics of African cinema.
To highlight Canadian cinema restoration efforts, SAVE AS 2023 welcomed award-winning filmmaker Patricia Rozema to present a case study of the 4K restoration of her iconic film WHEN NIGHT IS FALLING (1995), commissioned by Encore+ and Telefilm Canada in 2022. SAVE AS 2023 was honoured to present the World Premiere of the newly restored version of the film, with the filmmaker in attendance.
In addition, SAVE AS 2023 presented a case study of Guy Maddin’s TALES FROM THE GIMLI HOSPITAL (1988). Award-winning director Ron Mann discussed the process behind the new 4K version that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022.
In the absence of coordinated state-run archival activities, inspired and motivated individuals and NGOs have been engaged in the daunting tasks of restoring, preserving, archiving and exhibiting audiovisual artifacts from a variety of sectors. What is the range and reach of these ‘do-it-yourself’ activities? What are the outlines of this ‘ground up’ approach to the archiving, restoring, and exhibiting processes and how can these practitioners inform and even help shape potential future public sector/government policy frameworks?
Moderator: Brian Belovarac, Theatrical Distribution, Janus Films/Criterion Channel (New York, USA)
Panelists: Viviana García Besné, Director of Permanencia Voluntaria (Mexico); Ron Mann, Founder of FilmsWeLike (Toronto, Canada); Justin D. Williams, Archivist & Project Manager, South Side Home Movie Project (Chicago, USA)
- Year2023
- Runtime74 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
An ongoing and key part of IFFO’s celebration of Canadian and world cinema is its one-day annual conference, SAVE AS, dedicated to examining issues of preservation, restoration, distribution, and exhibition of the always-endangered world cinema heritage. SAVE AS consists of expert panel discussions, case studies of restored cinema classics, and premiere screenings of those restored classic films. At IFFO, we are committed to cinema’s past as well as its present and future.
In its inaugural edition, SAVE AS 2022 showcased the publication of New Light on Canadian Heritage Film, a first-of-its-kind study offering an overview of the network of players involved in the conservation, dissemination and promotion of Canadian heritage cinema. Focusing on activity in Canada and France, the event attracted a vibrant cross-section of Canadian and international film archivists, distributors, exhibitors, and streaming services such as Arbelos Films, Cannes Classics, Janus Films, the Criterion Channel, Éléphant : mémoire du cinéma québécois, the National Film Board, and Library and Archives Canada.
With the support of Telefilm Canada, SAVE AS continues to grow by creating a forum and raising awareness of the urgency and importance of preserving, restoring, distributing, and exhibiting film classics.
Taking place at the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) during the two-week run of the International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO), the conference’s 2023 international focus was African cinema. At the event, African cinema scholar Professor Aboubakar Sanogo led a panel discussion on the efforts being made to restore, preserve, and disseminate the classics of African cinema.
To highlight Canadian cinema restoration efforts, SAVE AS 2023 welcomed award-winning filmmaker Patricia Rozema to present a case study of the 4K restoration of her iconic film WHEN NIGHT IS FALLING (1995), commissioned by Encore+ and Telefilm Canada in 2022. SAVE AS 2023 was honoured to present the World Premiere of the newly restored version of the film, with the filmmaker in attendance.
In addition, SAVE AS 2023 presented a case study of Guy Maddin’s TALES FROM THE GIMLI HOSPITAL (1988). Award-winning director Ron Mann discussed the process behind the new 4K version that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022.
In the absence of coordinated state-run archival activities, inspired and motivated individuals and NGOs have been engaged in the daunting tasks of restoring, preserving, archiving and exhibiting audiovisual artifacts from a variety of sectors. What is the range and reach of these ‘do-it-yourself’ activities? What are the outlines of this ‘ground up’ approach to the archiving, restoring, and exhibiting processes and how can these practitioners inform and even help shape potential future public sector/government policy frameworks?
Moderator: Brian Belovarac, Theatrical Distribution, Janus Films/Criterion Channel (New York, USA)
Panelists: Viviana García Besné, Director of Permanencia Voluntaria (Mexico); Ron Mann, Founder of FilmsWeLike (Toronto, Canada); Justin D. Williams, Archivist & Project Manager, South Side Home Movie Project (Chicago, USA)
- Year2023
- Runtime74 minutes
- LanguageEnglish