Film Foundation

Film Foundation
Name	Film Foundation
Founded	0 1990
Founder	Martin Scorsese
Key people	Martin Scorsese (Chairman), Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Clint Eastwood
Focus	Film preservation, Film restoration, Film education
Location	Los Angeles, California, United States

Film Foundation. Established in 1990 by the acclaimed director Martin Scorsese, it is a pioneering nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of motion picture history. The organization was founded in response to the alarming rate at which classic films were deteriorating or being lost due to chemical decay and neglect. It brings together a coalition of leading filmmakers from Hollywood to advocate for the protection of global cinematic heritage, ensuring that culturally significant works remain accessible for future generations.

History

The catalyst for its creation was Scorsese's own distressing discovery of the fragile state of film archives, particularly after working on the restoration of his own film, Mean Streets. He enlisted the support of fellow cinematic luminaries, including Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, and Sydney Pollack, to form a united front. A landmark early effort was its instrumental role in the restoration of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's classic The Red Shoes, highlighting the urgent need for such work. Over the decades, it has grown from a U.S.-focused initiative into an international force, notably founding The World Cinema Project in 2007 to focus on endangered films from regions like Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Mission and activities

Its core mission is to protect and preserve the history of cinema by identifying, restoring, and presenting endangered films from around the world. This involves close collaboration with major film archives, including The Museum of Modern Art Department of Film, the UCLA Film & Television Archive, and the George Eastman Museum. A key activity is funding and supervising complex photochemical and digital restoration processes in partnership with studios such as Warner Bros. and 20th Century Studios. Furthermore, it actively advocates for preservation issues within the industry and to the public, emphasizing film as an essential art form and historical record.

Film restoration projects

It has been responsible for supervising and contributing to the restoration of hundreds of seminal works. Notable projects include the meticulous reconstruction of Alfred Hitchcock's silent film The Manxman and the digital restoration of Akira Kurosawa's epic Ran. Landmark American cinema saved includes John Cassavetes' Shadows and Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons. Through The World Cinema Project, it has restored pivotal works like Touki Bouki from Senegal by Djibril Diop Mambéty and Mysterious Object at Noon from Thailand by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, bringing global masterpieces back to light.

Educational programs

A central pillar of its work is integrating film preservation into education through curated programs. Its flagship initiative, The Story of Movies, provides free curriculum materials to middle and high school teachers across the United States, designed to teach visual literacy and film history. It frequently partners with institutions like the Library of Congress and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to host student screenings and workshops. These programs often feature introductions and discussions with filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola and Mira Nair, directly connecting students with the art and craft of cinema.

Leadership and organization

The organization is chaired by its founder, Martin Scorsese, and guided by a board of directors comprising major figures in filmmaking. This board has included, at various times, Robert Altman, Woody Allen, Kathryn Bigelow, and Christopher Nolan. Day-to-day operations are managed by an executive director and a dedicated staff based in Los Angeles. It operates through strategic alliances with studios, archives, and festivals like the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival, where many restored films are premiered. Funding is derived from donations, grants, and partnerships with entities like the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Impact and recognition

Its impact on film culture is profound, having saved over 900 films from irreversible loss and setting industry standards for archival practices. The organization's advocacy has raised global awareness, influencing preservation efforts at institutions like the British Film Institute and the Cinémathèque Française. It has received numerous accolades, including a special Oscar—the Academy Honorary Award—presented to Scorsese in recognition of its work. Furthermore, its educational outreach has impacted millions of students, ensuring that cinematic heritage is not only preserved but also actively studied and appreciated as a vital component of modern culture.

Category:Film preservation organizations Category:Organizations established in 1990 Category:Non-profit organizations based in Los Angeles