Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation Launches Free Virtual Screening Room for Restorations
Martin Scorsese’s nonprofit The Film Foundation is officially launching a free virtual screening room to showcase film restorations. The Film Foundation Restoration Screening Room, which will showcase both foundation restorations as well as those from partners, will launch on Monday, May 9, with Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1945 romantic comedy “I Know Where I’m Going!” starring Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesey. The restoration was overseen by The Film Foundation and BFI National Archive, in association with ITV and Park Circus.
The film and subsequent titles will be available for a 24-hour window and will feature introductions and conversations with filmmakers and archivists, providing an inside look at the restoration process. The Film Foundation Restoration Screening Room will offer “appointment viewing,” with screenings starting at a set time and available for a limited period, which is unlike other classic streaming options.
The restoration of “I Know Where I’m Going,” which received its world premiere at Cannes Classics last year and U.K. Ppemiere at the BFI London Film Festival last October, was selected by Martin Scorsese and Kent Jones, who serve as co-curators of the Restoration Screening Room. The film will be introduced by Scorsese, and include interviews with Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, “The Souvenir” director Joanna Hogg, Tilda Swinton, and Kevin Macdonald, all of whom count the film among their favorites. The screening is co-presented by Janus Films.
“We’re looking forward to making these beautiful restorations available to a wide audience,” said Martin Scorsese, The Film Foundation’s founder and chair. “Many of these presentations will feature restorations that are rarely seen, with myself and other filmmakers sharing why these films are important, how they have impacted our lives, and why it’s crucial that they be preserved.”
On the streaming side, The Film Foundation currently hosts many of its titles over at the Criterion Channel. Restorations on the streaming platform include “The Broken Butterfly,” “The Red Shoes,” “How Green Was My Falley,” “Ugetsu,” “La Strada,” “Wanda,” and “Mysterious Object at Noon.”
Restoration funding for “I Know Where I’m Going” was provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation with additional support provided by Matt Spick.
The Film Foundation is partnering with Oracle and DelphiQuest to create and power the platform, which will be available online at film-foundation.org/restoration-screening-room. The programming will showcase a broad range of restorations, including classic, avant-garde, independent, documentary, silent and short films from every era, genre, and region of the world. Upcoming monthly presentations include “La Strada,” “Kummatty,” “Detour” and “The Chase,” “Sambizanga,” “One-Eyed Jacks,” “Moulin Rouge” (1952), “Lost Lost Lost,” and more.