Italy to Restore Rare 1930s Celluloid Records of Manipur Cultural Heritage
A partnership between the S.N. Chand Cine Archive & Museum and Bologna's Home Movies Foundation will digitize 15 fragile 8mm reels. These films capture rare 1930s-1960s footage of Manipuri life, landscapes, and traditions.
Key takeaways
- Fifteen rare 8mm reels from Manipur are being sent to Bologna, Italy, for high-standard digital preservation.
- The footage captures Manipuri traditions, landscapes, and social life from 1935 through the early 1960s.
- Bologna-based Home Movies Foundation will manage the technical restoration following specialized international standards.
- The project was made possible by the SNCCAM following principal conservationist Johnson Rajkumar's training in Italy.
- Restoration of 10 additional reels remains pending based on the availability of future archive funding.
Digitizing a Vanishing History
In a major step for Indian film preservation, fifteen rare 8mm celluloid reels documenting Manipur’s mid-20th-century history are traveling to Italy for professional restoration. The Imphal-based S.N. Chand Cine Archive & Museum (SNCCAM) is partnering with the Home Movies Foundation-National Family Film Archive in Bologna to digitize these fragile records. The reels, which date from the mid-1930s to the early 1960s, contain irreplaceable footage of native life, including traditional boat races and the scenery of Loktak Lake.
Key Facts
- The 15 reels are part of a larger collection of 25 donated by X-Cine, a production house founded by K. Ibohal Sharma.
- Footage was primarily captured by Maharaj Kumar Priyabrata Singh and Kongbrailatpam Ibohal Sharma using early 8mm equipment.
- The project was initiated after SNCCAM conservationist Johnson Rajkumar attended specialized training in Bologna in 2026.
- Each reel runs for approximately 10 minutes, offering a visual record of Manipur before the formal establishment of its film industry.
- Preservation will follow international standards rather than simple digital conversion to ensure long-term archival quality.
Background
The SNCCAM was founded in April 2021 by the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS) to coincide with the golden jubilee of Manipuri cinema. Tasked with protecting the state's cinematic legacy, the archive has faced significant hurdles, including a lack of specialized domestic facilities and high costs for overseas preservation. M.K. Priyabrata Singh, known as P.B., began recording with a Bell & Howell camera in 1935, documenting a society in transition. These home movies now serve as primary historical documents for a period when filmmaking was extremely rare in the region.
What Happens Next
Under the supervision of Home Movies Foundation director Paolo Simoni, the films will undergo technical inspection and cataloging in Bologna. While 15 reels are prioritized for this phase, the MSFDS indicates that the restoration of the remaining 10 reels from the X-Cine donation will depend on future funding and logistical capacity. The resulting high-resolution digital files will be made available to researchers and cultural historians studying Manipuri social history and traditions.
Source: The Hindu – Entertainment
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