FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2026

The project aims to rescue and to put into value the oldest surviving sound newsreels in Chile. Because they are in 35mm nitrate film, they are inaccessible to the public due to the lack of other film or digital copies. To achieve these objectives, the project includes the following stages: cleaning and physical restoration, 4K digitization, detailed cataloging, backup on LTO-9 tapes, and online publication via the Chilean National Film Archive's platform. These actions will allow for the registration, inventorying, and documentation of a valuable historical heritage collection, ensuring its long-term preservation and future availability for public use.


The collection of sound newsreels produced by the state-owned company Chile Films between 1944 and 1949 constitutes a valuable social, economic, and cultural record of Chile in the 1940s. These images and sounds are practically unknown to current generations, making their rescue, enhancement, and preservation essential for Chileans (and the world at large) to discover and to enjoy them. Because they were filmed nearly 80 years ago, the original film stock is now very fragile (nitrate film can spontaneously combust and, over time, becomes cloudy, making recovery impossible). Therefore, their digitization and transfer to more stable formats that allow for their preservation and dissemination are urgently needed.