15 rare reels holding Manipur's memory to be digitised in Italy
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 07 2026: Fifteen fragile 8mm celluloid reels believed to hold rare footage of Manipur will undergo professional inspection, cataloguing and preservation digitisation in Italy under an international collaboration aimed at safeguarding the State's early visual history.

As per a release issued by the Manipur State Film Development Society, the reels, shot by pioneers Maharaj Kumar Priyabrata Singh and Kongbrailatpam Ibohal Sharma, are part of a 25-reel collection generously donated to the SN Chand Cine Archive & Museum (SNCCAM) by X-Cine.

The studio was founded by Sharma and is now run by his son, accomplished cinematographer and filmmaker K Bimol Sharma.

SNCCAM, the State film archive and museum under the MSFDS, has partnered with the Home Movies Foundation- National Family Film Archive, Bologna for the work.

According to Foundation Director Paolo Simoni, the footage will be digitised to internationally accepted filmpreservation standards rather than merely converted to access copies.

The project will include a comprehensive physical and chemical condition assessment, detailed conservation reports, and cataloguing as per global metadata standards.

For Manipur, the reels may preserve more than images.

As early as 1935, Priyabrata Singh used a Bell & Howell 8mm camera to document native life, cultural traditions and landscapes.

Along with Ibohal, he captured a society in transition, creating not commercial cinema but an invaluable record at a time when filmmaking was beyond most people's reach.

The collaboration follows SNCCAM Principal Film Conservationist Dr Johnson Rajkumar's selection as the only Indian for the FIAF Film Restoration Summer School 2026 in Bologna.

Held from June 19 to July 12, the programme covered inspection, restoration, digitisation and archival management with experts from the George Eastman Museum, BFI, Library of Congress and Warner Bros Discovery Archives.

Officials say the initiative marks a significant step in rescuing Manipur's endangered audiovisual heritage, much of which survives only in fragile and poorly documented film elements.

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