Lok Sabha Question No. 2286 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-15
Subject: Restoration of Old Film Reels
Ministry: INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING
Asked by: SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD, T. RADHAKRISHNAN, GAJANAN CHANDRAKANT KIRTIKAR, SUDHEER GUPTA, BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO, VIJAY KUMAR S.R., ASHOK SHANKARRAO CHAVAN

## GOVERNMENT  OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION AND BROADCASING

## LOK SABHA

uNSTARRED QUESTION  NO' 2286 TO BE ANSWERED  ON 15.03.2017

## RESTORATION  OF OLD FILM REELS

22A6.

DR. SUNIL BALIRAM GAIKWAD:

SHRI T RADHAKRISHNAN:

SHRI GAJANAN KIRTIKAR:

SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

SHRI S R VIJAYAKUMAR:

SHRI ASHOK SHANKARRAO  CHAVAN:

## Will the Minister of INFORMATION  AND BROADCASTING  be pleased

## to state:

- (a)  whether the Government  is aware that many old film reels has been
- destroyed;
- (c) whether the Government has recently launched a project to assess theconditionofaboutl,32,o0ofiImree|sattheNationalFiIm Archivesoflndia(NFAI)andmeasuresthatneedtobetakento prolong  their life;
- (b)  if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (d)  if so, the details thereof along with the expenditure likely to be incurred thereon;
- (0 the other steps taken/being taken by the Government to make a rich film heritage available  for the future  generations?
- (e)  the time by which the project is likely to be completed;  and

## ANSWER

## THEMINISTERoFSTATEINTHEMINISTRYoFINFoRMATIoNAND BROADCASTI NG ICOL  RAJYAVARDHAN RATHORE ( REtd. ) ]

(a) & (b): National Film Archive of India  (NFAI) was established in the year 1964 with the objective to trace, acquire and preserve the heritage of national cinema.  By the time NFAI came into existence,  many of the silent era films were lost and were not traceable. A large number of films made in the country before 1955 being on highly inflammable  nitrate base, have already been destroyed and are no longer available. Most film producers tend to view film aS commercial venture alone, much to the exclusion  of the cultural aspect of cinema and have, therefore, not focused on its preservation needs. Also there is no legal compulsion  on the part of the filmmakers to contribute by preserving  their films for posterity.

- (c) to (e): Ministry of Information  and Broadcasting  has launched a mission mode project namely 'National Film Heritage Mission  (NFHM)' to restore, digitize and archive films and filmic material  through National Film Archives of India. The scheme is envisaged  at a total cost of Rs.597.41 Crore spread over 2014-15 to 2O2O-21. The following are the objectives of NFHM:-
- )  To undertake film condition assessment of the film collection and to ascertain  the left over life of the film;
- > Preventive  conservation of 1,32,000 film reels;
- > 2k/4k picture  and sound restoration of 1050 land mark feature films and 960 short films of Indian cinema and recording of new picture and sound inter-negatives  of each film;
- > Digitization of 1050 feature films and 1200 short films;
- construction  of archival and  preservation  facilities for  preservation  of material restored under NFHM in dust free, low humidity,  and low temperature  conditions at NFAI campus, Pune; and
- Training workshops  and courses in field of conservation,  preservation and archiving in co-ordination  with international agencies  that are experts in this field.
- (f): NFAI has been conducting  Film Appreciation course, which is aimed at exposing the best of Indian and International cinema to cinephiles  and public  at large. NFAI also conducts Film Preservation and Restoration course to provide hands on practical training  to cover all the gamut of film preservation  and restoration  sessions  as well as preservation of filmic and ancillary material. state of the art library facility at NFAI premise with collection  of more than 30,000 thousand books on various titles related to film and filmic culture for public usage, Government  provides financial assistance for Research Fellowship,  Audio Visual History,  and Monographs to researchers and film lovers,