The 15th Beijing International Film Festival will officially kick off this Friday. The "Salute and Restoration" unit of this film festival has once again become the focus of light and shadow, and will screen 15 latest Chinese and foreign restored films, including "Goddess", "Northwest", "Golden Years", and "Inland Empire". At the same time, in order to commemorate the 120 years of storms of Chinese films, the "Big Cheering of Two Jiazi: Chinese Film Special Exhibition" specially planned by the Film Festival "Beijing Screening", 4K restoration versions of early national film treasures such as "Labor Love" and "Pan Si Cave" will also be screened.

　　Classic old films span time and tell the creation, appreciation and inheritance of beauty. The restorationist's ingenuity of calibration frame by frame and the continuous support of the Beijing Film Festival have made the 120-year-old Chinese film industry shine again. At the same time, it also adds new movie-watching hot spots to the market and activates new consumption scenarios.

Restor Guo Hong

Restor Chen Siquan

Restor Wang Zheng

Restor Lu Congwei

"Blessings" repair comparison picture

"Goddess" repair comparison picture

　　Classic reappearance

　　"Goddess" showcases new memory

　　This year's Beijing Film Festival's "Salutes and Restoration" unit has selected 15 videos. Among them, the 4K version of the two works "Goddess" and "Police Story" are the latest restoration work of the China Film Archive. The former is not only a living fossil in the history of Chinese films, but also a touchstone for testing the restoration technology of old Chinese films.

　　This year coincides with the 90th anniversary of Ruan Lingyu's death. The Digital Restoration Laboratory of the China Film Archive conducted a 4K scan and repair of this 1934 classic silent film "The Goddess". In February this year, the 4K restoration version of the film debuted in the classic unit of the 75th German Berlin International Film Festival, which amazed the audience at its classic composition, use of light and shadow, and the performances of the actors.

　　This classic business card was once screened in more than 20 countries. It is called the "cultural ambassador in the iron box" and is praised by international film history scholars as a "textbook for Eastern aesthetics." Nowadays, through restoration and soundtrack, the dusty memory of light and shadow is reborn, which is not only a protection and inheritance of Chinese film cultural heritage, but also an important window to tell Chinese stories to the world and show Chinese cultural confidence.

　　In addition, "Pan Si Cave" is the earliest existing costume drama adapted from "Journey to the West". It was once lost. It was not found and returned to my country by the Norwegian National Library in 2014. It was restored 4K on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of its return in 2024. This screening is the world premiere of this version.

　　Old film freshman

　　Reflects the repairer's ingenuity of frame-by-frame calibration

　　Behind the restoration of old films is the restorationist’s ingenuity to calibrate frame by frame. "Movie restoration must go through three key stages: physical restoration, digital restoration and artistic restoration." Wang Zheng, a restorationist at the China Film Archives, introduced that in the physical restoration process, professional restorators at the China Film Archives Xi'an Film Archives will clean and repair the original film to restore vitality. The physically restored film will arrive from Xi'an by train to Beijing and start a digital restoration journey. The China Film Archives Repair Laboratory uses a high-precision 4K film scanner to convert film into digital formats, and then repairs the picture and sound frame by frame on the computer.

　　In the restoration room of the China Film Archive, more than ten restorators process about 6,000 frames of screens per day, and the mouse clicks exceeded 20,000 times. Based on 24 frames per second, a 150,000-frame film needs to continue to "tactic" and each work needs to meet unique challenges.

　　Taking "Goddess" as an example, the 4K repair scans the original nitric acid negative from 1934. Nitrate tablets are also called "flammable tablets". They will spontaneously ignite when they are at an environment above 40°C and can still burn in an oxygen-free environment. Therefore, the entire transportation and repair of this video must be strictly operated in a constant temperature, humidity and anti-static environment. Wang Zheng admitted: "We are as cautious as protecting films, and the temperature, humidity and operating standards are all studied step by step in practice."

　　The second problem of 4K repairing "Goddess" is that due to the limitations of early film photography technology, there will be some close-up virtual focus problems, and the repair team needs to adjust and repair frame by frame. During the repair, each restorator is responsible for about ten minutes of paragraphs, which not only needs to refine the details on the monitor, but also needs to test the overall consistency of the video through the big screen.

　　Video repair must ensure that the screen density handled by different repairers is consistent, which also puts high demands on teamwork.

　　Fusion of skills

　　Keep the soul of film art with good intentions

　　To repair old movies, we must not only repair their physical forms, but also protect their souls. In the repair room, a Beijing Youth Daily reporter saw a comparison between the 4K restoration version of "Goddess" and the original version in 1934. In the repaired camera, Ruan Lingyu's eyes and gestures are more delicate, and the exquisiteness of the silent film performance is unobstructed. The restorators also deliberately retained film particles and slight projector noise, allowing the old movies to retain their historical temperature, which is a good intention.

　　"The Story of Police" released in 1995 is the second part of the "Beijing Trilogy" directed by Ning Ying. It is almost all played by non-professional actors, recording the urban pulse of Beijing in the late 1980s with an advanced aesthetic style. Become the "best footnote to filming Beijing stories." Its repair is heavy

　　Points are also the pursuit of artistic "compensation". In accordance with the director's opinion, the restorators optimized the picture stability and light processing. In terms of sound repair, the team has increased the sound elements of old Beijing characteristics such as pigeon whistle, enhancing the film's sense of regionality and era. When watching the movie, the audience seemed to be in the Beijing Hutong at that time, and felt the atmosphere of that era - the old Xingyuan knife-cut noodles sign in Xisi, the honeycomb coal stove in the alley, and the quaint tiles on the Ningjun Prince's Mansion... together form a vivid map of Beijing in the 1980s.

　　Wang Zheng has participated in the restoration of more than 500 old films and has a lot of experience. "Movie restoration is a combination of technology and art, which requires teamwork. Restorators must be proficient in computer and film history, and master AI algorithms, and understand the rhythm and soul of the film. Only when technology and art are perfectly integrated can the restoration work truly touch people's hearts."

　　The iteration of technology has not changed the core of the restoration - dialogue with creators across time and space. Li Tao, a national first-class director of the China Film Archive, said: "The key to success or failure lies in accurately understanding the director's creative intentions. During the restoration of "Goddess", the team analyzed the details of the picture frame by frame to ensure that each adjustment is in line with the aesthetic style of director Wu Yonggang and restored the visual language of silent films in the 1930s." In addition to the pictures, during the restoration process, "Goddess" also adopted the soundtrack jointly conducted by the China Film Archives and Datuk Huang Jida Foundation in 2014, and the two-channel soundtrack created by the famous composer Zou Ye, bringing the audience a high-quality auditory experience.

　　Repair the old as old

　　Deeply explore the artistic value of classic films

　　The Chinese Film Archives adheres to the principle of "repairing the old as it is, respecting originality". Each film needs to be systematically analyzed and verified before restoring. Li Tao explained his process to the Beijing Youth Daily reporter: "For films such as "Horse Thieves" and "Red Sorghum", we will invite directors and photographers to participate in artistic restoration on the spot; if the creator dies, the creative context will be restored through literature textual research, such as checking director's notes and film review archives, and even contacting future generations to supplement details. Repair is not artistic reconstruction, but allowing the work to continue life with its original appearance. Each frame of adjustment must conform to historical logic, which is the most basic respect for the creator."

　　Wang Zheng also said that the repair process is like a "second creation" with the director and photographer. "When director Huo Jianqi filmed "The Mountain, That Man, That Dog", due to conditions, he could only use artificial water to splash water to create the moistness on the mountain road. During the repair, we accurately restored the mountains and forests in his ideal by adjusting the tone and contrast of the film; during the restoration of "Red Sorghum", the team strengthened the visual tension of red by layering color adjustment based on Gu Changwei's explanation of aesthetics." Wang Zheng said that repair is not simply improving the picture quality, but using technology to fill the creative regrets of the film era. The restorator is also a technical executor - using digital tools to fulfill the visual concept of the main creator who was limited by the conditions that could not be fully expressed.

　　In 2022, Wang Zheng and his team restored the movie "Blessings". This is the first color film in New China, created by director Sang Hu and photographer Qian Jiang. The film is well preserved and has an oil painting texture after scanning. Wang Zheng said: "At that time, we thought it could be repaired very 'beautiful', but after reviewing the creative explanations of the director and photography, it was not the case. Director Sang Hu pointed out that although the film is colorful, the tones should be mainly light colors, presenting a tragic tone. We followed this concept and adjusted the overall color. Therefore, film restoration is not only a technical challenge, but also a deep exploration of the artistic value of classic films."

　　International standards

　　Restoration of old Chinese films is recognized by the world

　　Li Tao introduced that in 2006, the country launched the "Digital Repair Project for Film Archives", and the China Film Archives took the lead in promoting the digital restoration and archiving of old films. Up to now, the number of classic films restored by the China Film Archives is considerable, and more than 500 2K restorations and more than 60 4K restorations have been completed.

　　Among them, the 4K restoration version of "The Horse Thieves" participated in the international mainstream film festival for the first time in 2019 and was selected as the "classic unit" of the Cannes International Film Festival. "This represents China's restoration technology and is recognized by the international art community." Since then, "Blessings" and "Flying Eagle Plan" have been selected as the "Classic Units" of the Cannes International Film Festival in 2020 and 2024 respectively. The 4K restoration version of China's earliest existing feature film "Labor Love" premiered at the Bologna Film Festival in Italy in 2022.

　　Li Tao said that the current level of repairing old films in China is at the international front line, and it has been independently developing technologies. "For example, the high-frame rate production technology of "The Horse Thieves" has increased the video from 24 frames per second to 48 frames per second. This is also the first time in the world that high-frame rate technology has been transplanted into digital film repair."

　　·Film Festival·Highlights·

　　The restoration of the masterpiece will be displayed in intensive exhibitions

　　The film festival is an important bridge for restoring films to connect audiences, and the restoration of old films has repeatedly become the focus of the Beijing Film Festival. At the 9th Beijing Film Festival, the 4K version of "Red Sorghum" evoked the audience's nostalgia complex; at the 11th session, the color restoration version of "The Never Eliminated Radio Wave" aroused strong resonance among young audiences, confirming the lasting vitality of classic films. This year, the Beijing Film Festival has broken the audience's stereotype of old films through carefully designed screening levels and structures. Traces of the classic 4K restoration version can be found in multiple series and units.

　　The "Salute and Repair" unit, in addition to the latest 4K restoration versions of masterpieces such as "Northwest", "Eavesdropping Conspiracy" and "Go to Understand", also specially selected Africa's first drama film shot by a female director - Angola director Sarah Maldoro's "Sambizanga", Iran's first female director Mava Nabilli's masterpiece "The Expropriated Land", and the representative work of "Dianoa Battlefield" by Usman Semban, director of the "Father of Film" in Africa. All playback versions are 4K repair versions. The latest restored films of this year's Berlin Film Festival "Berlin Classic" were also "expressed" to the Beijing Film Festival. The last work of the famous director Conrad Wolf during his lifetime, "Sunny Solo", will meet with Chinese audiences.

　　In the "Salutes and Commemoration" unit, to commemorate the writer Qiong Yao who passed away last year, the 4K restoration version of Lin Qingxia's famous work "Outside the Window" will be screened; there are also the latest 4K restoration version "Inland Empire" and many short films will meet movie fans.

　　"Salutes and Special Planning" this year's theme is "Remembering Tarkovsky", which will screen a set of films in which Tarkovsky and his son Xiaota complement each other, including the 4K digital restoration of Laota's "Traveling Time" and Xiaota's "Andrey Rublev: Movie As Memory" will be premiered internationally/worldly in China.

　　Sha Dan, the curator of the Beijing Film Festival screening, said bluntly: "For movie fans, movies that have never been seen are new movies. What the Beijing Film Festival needs to do is to turn some unpopular classics into current cultural events, and this curatorial idea also echoes the pattern of openness and diversity in Chinese films and embracing the world."

　　·Film Festival·Follow·

　　New films open up new consumption scenarios

　　The 4K restoration version of "Goddess" has appeared at the Berlin Film Festival and the Beijing International Film Festival this year. It will then return to Ruan Lingyu's hometown for screening, and finally cover more cities through the National Arts Federation Film Festival. This planning is called the "loop" - through the three-stage path of film festivals, urban traceability and national distribution, it designs a sustainable "youth cycle" to restore old films.

　　Shadan believes that restoring old films can also activate industrial momentum. During this year's Beijing Film Festival, after the 4K restoration version of "That Mountain, That Man, That Dog" was screened, director Huo Jianqi will personally interpret the movie; after the 4K restoration version of "Shaolin Temple" was screened, deputy director Shi Yangping will communicate with the audience on the spot to reveal the shooting details. This "repair image + creative backtracking" model has upgraded old films from one-way screening to interactive communication, driving the compound value of ticketing, derivatives and copyright transactions. In addition, the Beijing Film Festival also planned a live soundtrack performance for the silent film "Labor Love", reconstructing the rhythm of black and white images, allowing century-old films to react chemically with young audiences, transforming old movies into irreplicable cultural experiences, and opening up new scenes of physical consumption in the era of streaming media.

　　When the audience empathizes with the main creators and talks with history in the theater, the activation of film memory not only injects new vitality into cultural consumption, but also complements the scarce classic content puzzle in the film cultural ecology. Repairing old films is increasingly considered a significant undertaking. "It retains the memory of human civilization, allowing the film, a unique art form, to cross the long river of time and continue to shine," said Shadan.

　　Text/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Xiao Yang Photography/Beijing Youth Daily reporter Hao Yi

　　Some pictures are provided by / Film Archives Coordinator / Li Yang

[Editor in charge: Tang Wei]