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An ongoing and key part of IFFO’s celebration of Canadian and world cinema is its one-day annual conference, SAVE AS, dedicated to examining issues of preservation, restoration, distribution, and exhibition of the always-endangered world cinema heritage. SAVE AS consists of expert panel discussions, case studies of restored cinema classics, and premiere screenings of those restored classic films. At IFFO, we are committed to cinema’s past as well as its present and future.


In its inaugural edition, SAVE AS 2022 showcased the publication of New Light on Canadian Heritage Film, a first-of-its-kind study offering an overview of the network of players involved in the conservation, dissemination and promotion of Canadian heritage cinema. Focusing on activity in Canada and France, the event attracted a vibrant cross-section of Canadian and international film archivists, distributors, exhibitors, and streaming services such as Arbelos Films, Cannes Classics, Janus Films, the Criterion Channel, Éléphant : mémoire du cinéma québécois, the National Film Board, and Library and Archives Canada.


With the support of Telefilm Canada, SAVE AS continues to grow by creating a forum and raising awareness of the urgency and importance of preserving, restoring, distributing, and exhibiting film classics.


Taking place at the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) during the two-week run of the International Film Festival of Ottawa (IFFO), the conference’s 2023 international focus was African cinema. At the event, African cinema scholar Professor Aboubakar Sanogo led a panel discussion on the efforts being made to restore, preserve, and disseminate the classics of African cinema.


To highlight Canadian cinema restoration efforts, SAVE AS 2023 welcomed award-winning filmmaker Patricia Rozema to present a case study of the 4K restoration of her iconic film WHEN NIGHT IS FALLING (1995), commissioned by Encore+ and Telefilm Canada in 2022. SAVE AS 2023 was honoured to present the World Premiere of the newly restored version of the film, with the filmmaker in attendance.


In addition, SAVE AS 2023 presented a case study of Guy Maddin’s TALES FROM THE GIMLI HOSPITAL (1988). Award-winning director Ron Mann discussed the process behind the new 4K version that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022.

What are the international activities being undertaken to restore, preserve, and disseminate the classics of African cinema? In addition to a presentation and panel discussion on this subject, SAVE AS will present a special tribute screening of Mandabi (1968), a key recently restored work by African cinema pioneer, Ousmane Sembene, in celebration of the centenary of his birth in 1923.


Moderator: Aboubakar Sanogo, Professor, Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada)

Panelists: Ahmed Bedjaoui, Academic, Producer and film critic (Algiers, Algeria)

Judith Opoku-Boateng, Archivist, University of Ghana

  • Year
    2023
  • Runtime
    78 minutes
  • Language
    English