After careful consideration of the health and safety of our participants and partners under the emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus in the community—and after consultations with our HKU partners—we have made the difficult decision to postpone this event yet a later date.

Motion pictures were invented in 1895. Yet earliest attempts to collect and preserve film only began in the 1930s in Europe and the United States of America. Due to neglect, natural disasters, wars & other socio-economic reasons, the survival rate of early films is extremely low. Archival institutions around the world believe that only half of the films made before the 1950s survive.

In this seminar, Gladys Lau and Aki Kung from the Reel to Reel Institute (RTRI) will introduce the history and technological development of cinema: from black and white to colour; from silent to talkies, and the properties of the most important and fascinating entity－celluloid film, the carrier of moving images. RTRI will also discuss how this delicate medium of art aged and decayed over time, and the physical, photochemical and digital methods practised by archivists and conservators to restore film heritage for long term preservation and greater public access.

A rare 16mm copy of one of the earliest silent comedies of Charlie Chaplin will also be shown, along with a live music accompaniment by local musician Bunn Lau, to recreate the viewing experience of silent cinema in the early days.

About Reel to Reel Institute

A non-profit organisation founded in 2018 that aims at promoting film preservation, and wider access of audio-visual heritage in Hong Kong by delivering public screenings, publications, education programmes and digitisation/restoration projects.

Registration

To attend, please register your interest here https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?ueid=79087

All HKU students and staff are welcome!