Cineteca di Bologna, L’Immagine Ritrovata, FIAF and the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) are thrilled to announce that the 11th FIAF Film Restoration Summer School will take place in Bologna during summer 2026.
The institutions behind the Summer School have come together once again in order to renew and strengthen their long lasting cooperation, a bond that aims to pursue the spread of film preservation and conservation through the international community. Specialists, film archive staff and students that are looking forward to experience the complete restoration workflow in our experienced film restoration laboratory, are more than welcome to apply.
Applications are open until 15 February 2026. Program and application form can be downloaded on L’Immagine Ritrovata website.
On 24 June 2025, at MAMbo in Bologna, Jay Weissberg, Director of the Giornate del Cinema Muto (Pordenone), delivered an insightful presentation on strategies for sharing and promoting heritage cinema in a changing cultural landscape.
As every year, FINA is organising a specialist training programme, as part of its role as a Competence Centre in the field of film heritage digitisation. The training will take place in November 2025 and will cover key topics related to the preparation for digitisation, digitisation and digital restoration of film image and sound.
Until now, the training has been addressed to Polish participants and conducted entirely in Polish. This year, however, the programme is being expanded to international participants, with a focus on Central and Eastern European countries. It is intended primarily for:
Final-year students and postgraduates in film and conservation-related fields,
Representatives of film institutions working directly with film collections and digitisation processes,
Professionals already engaged in the preservation of film heritage — as an opportunity to exchange knowledge and compare practices across our region.
Training format:
A three-part programme including both theoretical and practical modules
Duration: 11 days (3 days online and 8 days in-person in Warsaw, at FINA’s premises)
Dates: 12–28 November 2025
The training will be subsidized and free of charge for participants
Participants will cover their own travel and accommodation
Admission will be based on order of applications received and a short letter of intent submitted as part of the application.
23–24 October 2025 FINA, Wałbrzyska 3/5 Str., Warsaw
The conference is addressed to digital preservation specialists, digitisation project managers, professionals responsible for cataloguing digital collections in cultural institutions and film post-production, as well as anyone interested in the long-term care of digital heritage.
Key topics will include new formats for audiovisual production, such as IMF (Interoperable Master Format) and FFV1 as an alternative to DPX, environmental costs of long-term digital preservation and strategies for sustainable development of digital infrastructure, legal deposit strategies for cinematographic works — current practices in Poland and across Europe and film-out workflows — limitations and potential of technologies such as Arrilaser, documentation and file integrity in the context of born-digital collections in museums.
The organisers will also present the goals and framework of the project “Immersed in Culture: Digital Access to Audiovisual and Multimedia Collections of FINA and CSW ZU” / „Zanurzeni w kulturze. Cyfrowy dostęp do zasobów audiowizualnych i multimedialnych FINA i CSW ZU”, which received funding under the European Funds for Digital Development 2021–2027 (FERC 2.3 – Digital accessibility and reuse of information).
More information: FINA website Follow on social media: facebook Joint the discussion: #PamiecAbsolutna2025 / #ZanurzeniWKulturze / #ImmersedInCulture
Following the success of the pilot phase of this new scheme last year, the ACE and FIAF are joining forces once again to support the ACE member institutions willing to spread and apply the knowledge and practice of analogue film projection. The idea of the Projectionists’ Workshop project is based on a common will to keep this craft and experience alive, and to support current and future colleagues in this field by offering them a platform for learning and sharing.
The funding proposed (a total of 2.000€ per workshop) should help the selected hosting institutions to organise short Projectionists’ Workshops aimed at practicing professionals and motivated participants. It is expected that the workshops will attract participants by region and language, for the comfort of participants and to avoid long-distance travel. The financial contribution from ACE and FIAF can be used for honoraria, production of educational materials, accommodation, travel costs, and meals.
The workshops should focus on knowledge exchange and best practices, for example in terms of repairs and maintenance, contact lists for suppliers of equipment and spare parts, and connections among projectionists. The workshops should also be open to projectionists not (yet) working for an archival cinema.
How to apply?
Eligible applicants: ACE Members and/or FIAF affiliates based in Europe.
Financial allocation: The organising institution will receive between up to 2.000 EUR (joint support from ACE and FIAF).
Eligible expenses: Honoraria for invited experts/instructors, accommodation, travel costs, meals and coffee breaks, and production of educational materials.
Evaluation criteria:
Completeness of the application form
Clarity of the aims and content of the proposed workshop
Adequacy of the premises and equipment
Affordability of the event for the hosting institution
First-time applicants particularly encouraged
Please include the following information in your application:
Name of the organising institution
Region/language of the workshop
Contact information of responsible person(s)
Place of the workshop
Dates of the workshop
Hours of the workshop per day/proposed schedule
Number and profiles of the instructors
Maximum number of participants your workshop can host
Estimated itemised budget
Please describe the specific aims, content, and structure of the workshop you propose to host
Basic description of the projection equipment used during the workshop
Applications must be sent to projectionists@fiafnet.org by 1 September 2025. They will be evaluated by representatives of FIAF and ACE and selections announced by the end of September 2025. The selected workshops are expected to take place by May 2026.
A written report from the institution hosting the workshop should be submitted to projectionists@fiafnet.org no longer than two months after the workshop.
Association des Cinémathèques Européennes – ACE Workshop
in partnership with FIAF’s PACC(Programming and Access to Collections Commission of the International Federation of Film Archives) and Il Cinema Ritrovato
Tuesday 24 June 2025 14:00 – 17:30 MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna, Via Giovanni Minzoni 14, 40121 Bologna, Italy.
Free admission. No reservation needed.
How to Disseminate Heritage Cinema in a Changing Society? Context, Responsibility, and Engagement: Strategies for Selecting and Programming Controversial Films While Preserving the Integrity of Our Audiovisual Heritage
Classic films often reflect the complexities, contradictions, and sometimes troubling aspects of the eras in which they were made. In the context of evolving societal paradigms and increasingly diverse audiences, programming classic cinema today poses both challenges and opportunities. The role of film archives and Cinémathèques is not just to preserve and disseminate cinematic heritage, but also to provide meaningful and responsible mediation.
Today’s audiences, influenced by changing social values, heightened cultural sensitivities, and a growing awareness of historical injustices, view these works through new and diverse lenses.
The workshop will explore how programmers, curators and cultural mediators can respond to changing contexts by encouraging dialogue and helping audiences engage with the complexities of cinema history through modern and inclusive tools.
It will address several key issues related to the topic, including the evolution of programming and dissemination practices, the importance of contextualization, an analysis of new audiences’ dynamics, and parallels with the academic environment today.
The discussion will also reflect on the role of film archives within the audiovisual and cultural sectors, as well as the need for adequate financial resources for appropriate mediation actions, professional training and educational projects.
It will focus on the possibility of a dynamic, reflective approach to heritage cinema: one that can address controversy openly and embraces cinema’s capacity to illuminate the past while encouraging reflection in the present.
The panel will include contributions and testimonials from film programmers and curators, academics, and professionals working in the archival and cinema fields.
Through the First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis (FAR) programme, ICCROM has recently launched a new European initiative called READY.
READY is a 38-month capacity development project supported by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport, and Culture (DG EAC) under the Creative Europe Programme. It is designed to strengthen capacities for disaster risk management for cultural heritage—especially in the face of extreme weather events, armed conflict, and other complex emergencies.
In its first year, READY focuses specifically on movable and intangible heritage, including collections in museums, libraries, archives, and institutions safeguarding traditional practices and knowledge systems.
Within the framework of READY Track 1, ICCROM is now inviting from diverse professionals in Creative Europe programme countries for an international course that combines online learning, in-person training, and follow-up field projects. The course will focus on safeguarding heritage collections, living traditions, and cultural practices before, during, and after disasters, conflicts, or extreme weather events.
The course includes:
Online in-depth conceptual and learning of foundational DRM concepts (20 Hours over 2 months)
In-person hands-on multi-disciplinary training in Riga, Latvia (10-12 days)
Follow-up field projects in participants’ home countries, supported by distance mentoring (4-6 months)
Field projects may include: (Not Limited to)
Developing tools for risk assessment and emergency preparedness in heritage contexts
Safeguarding intangible heritage, traditions, and practices in crisis settings
Building national/local cultural first aid teams
Strengthening coordination between heritage professionals and emergency responders
The ACE, in partnership with FIAF, wants to support the ACE member institutions willing to spread and enforce the knowledge and practice of analogue film projection. The idea of the Projectionists’ Workshop project is based on a common will to keep this craft and experience alive, and to support the current and future colleagues in this field by offering them a platform for learning and sharing.
The original proposal of our colleagues from FIAF, Chicca Bergonzi (Programming and Access to Collections Commission) and Camille Blot-Wellens (Technical Commission) was well received among the film archival community. The Executive Committee of ACE agreed that such a project is invaluable for building the professional community and has decided to support a pilot phase financially. This should help the selected hosting institutions to organize a first series of Projectionists’ Workshops aimed at practicing professionals and motivated participants. It is expected that the workshops will attract participants by region and language, for the comfort of participants and to avoid long travels.
The workshops should focus on knowledge exchange and best practices, for example in terms of repairs and maintenance, contact lists for suppliers of the equipment and spare parts, connections among projectionists. The workshops should also be open to projectionists not (yet) working for an archival cinema.
The budget should be moderate, and the contribution from ACE and FIAF can be used towards honoraria, production of educational materials, accommodation, travels, and meals.
Applications will be evaluated by the representatives of the Executive Committees of FIAF and ACE by the end of May 2024, and the results will be published on the ACE website without delay. It is expected that the first of these workshops should take place during the current calendar year.
Deadline: 17 May, 2024
Download the application form for more details about the process:
This year’s ACE Workshop will focus on the state of digital preservation and the strategies for sharing digital content, VOD platforms, archival festivals, and cross-border access to European film heritage.
MAMbo – Museo d’Arte Moderna di Bologna Via Giovanni Minzoni 14, 40121 Bologna, Italy
The beginning of the 21st century brought along the most significant technological transformation that cinema has undergone since its invention.
The replacement by digital of analogue technology in the entire cinematographic chain from production to exhibition has had far more profound consequences than all the technological changes that occurred in the first century of cinema. These include the replacement of the 35mm cellulose nitrate film base with cellulose triacetate, and even the transition from silent cinema to sound cinema.
One of the consequences of the digital transformation is the need to establish an all-new archival methodology — including digital repositories whose long-term viability is still unproven. But another, no less decisive consequence, is the need to define how we intend, from now on, to preserve and exhibit the great historical collection of 20th century cinema.
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Cineteca di Bologna, L’Immagine Ritrovata, FIAF and the Association des Cinémathèques Européennes (ACE) are thrilled to announce that the 11th FIAF Film Restoration Summer School will take place in Bologna during summer 2026.
