15 Reels That Hold Manipur’s Memory to Undergo Preservation Digitisation in Italy

Imphal: A collection of 15 fragile 8mm celluloid reels, believed to contain rare footage shot by Maharaj Kumar Priyabrata Singh and Kongbrailatpam Ibohal Sharma, is set to undergo professional inspection, cataloguing and preservation digitisation under an international collaboration between the SN Chand Cine Archive & Museum (SNCCAM) and the Home Movies Foundation – National Family Film Archive, Bologna.

For Manipur, the reels could hold more than moving images. They may preserve fragments of a way of life that has long since changed.

Long before Manipuri cinema found its formal footing, Maharaj Kumar Priyabrata Singh, as far back as 1935, turned his Bell & Howell 8mm camera towards Manipur’s native life, cultural traditions and landscapes.

Together with K. Ibohal, PB, as he is fondly remembered, are two of the early Manipuri practitioners to independently use 8mm cameras extensively, to capture a society in transition through moving images—not as commercial cinema, but as an invaluable visual record of a way of life at a time when filmmaking was beyond the reach of most people.

SNCCAM, the state film archive and museum of the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS), has entered into discussions with the Bologna-based foundation for the professional assessment and preservation of the rare collection. According to discussions with Foundation Director Paolo Simoni, the footage will be digitised in accordance with internationally accepted film-preservation standards, rather than merely converted into access copies. The 15 rare reels was part of a collection of 25 reels generously donated to SNCCAM by X-Cine, established by Kongbrailatpam Ibohal Sharma. X-Cine is now run by his son, K. Bimol Sharma, an accomplished cinematographer, editor and filmmaker who continues his father’s legacy.

The proposed work will include a comprehensive physical and chemical condition assessment of the reels, detailed conservation reports and cataloguing according to internationally recognised metadata standards. Such documentation will help determine not only how the films can be safely digitised, but also how the original materials can be preserved for future generations. The international collaboration is one of the direct outcomes of Dr Johnson Rajkumar, principal film conservationist of SNCCAM, participating in the prestigious FIAF Film Restoration Summer School 2026 and the 40th Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy.

Held from June 19 to July 12 at L'Immagine Ritrovata and associated institutions, the programme brought together specialists and practitioners working in the field of film preservation. Dr Rajkumar, representing SNCCAM, was the only Indian selected for the highly regarded training programme, allowing him to acquire practical knowledge of contemporary archival and restoration practices while establishing professional links with institutions and experts working at the international level.

The intensive programme covered film inspection, conservation, restoration, digitisation, archival management and exhibition. Dr Rajkumar participated in laboratory sessions, worked alongside restoration specialists and attended lectures by experts associated with institutions including the George Eastman Museum, British Film Institute, Library of Congress and Warner Bros. Discovery Archives.

According to his training report, the experience significantly strengthened his technical understanding of film preservation while opening professional networks that could support future conservation initiatives in Manipur.

The collaboration with the Home Movies Foundation is one of the first tangible outcomes of those new international connections, marking another significant step in Manipur’s growing effort to rescue and preserve its endangered audiovisual heritage—much of which survives only in fragile, scattered and often poorly documented film elements.

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