Archives: George Eastman House Receives Donation From Kodak Allowing For Increased Digitization and Preservation of Motion Pictures

From the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY:

George Eastman House announced today that it will operate a digital laboratory as part of its Moving Image Department, thanks to Eastman Kodak Company’s donation of state-of-the-art digital equipment. The gift will enhance George Eastman House’s in-house capabilities in film preservation, allowing broader access to the museum’s motion picture collection. The lab will be used for both digitizing select titles from the museum’s premier collection of more than 28,000 films, as well as preserving digitally-born works.
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As George Eastman House gradually increases the number of titles from its collection available in both film and digital formats, the digital laboratory will enable screening venues to choose the medium in which they prefer to exhibit these works from the museum’s collection. “Motion picture film remains the best and most durable carrier of moving images. Cinema has thrived for over 120 years in photochemical form, and our museum is committed to preserving and presenting it as such for posterity,” said Paolo Cherchi Usai, senior curator, Moving Image Department, George Eastman House. “Film and digital are different media—each with its own merits. Our institution embraces their coexistence as powerful tools for creativity and knowledge. Our investment in the digital future will be as steadfast as our passion for cinema as an art form.”

Read the Complete Announcement

Filed under: Archives and Special Collections, Digital Preservation, News, Preservation