In this Industry Spotlight with Creative First,  Ujwal Nirgudkar, Chairman of SMPTE India and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, joined Lohita Sujith, Sr. Director, Copyright & Digital Economy, Motion Picture Association, to discuss India’s efforts to preserve and restore cinematic heritage. With over 40 years of experience, Ujwal has contributed significantly to film preservation and restoration in India, including his key role in the National Film Heritage Mission.

The conversation included discussion on SMPTE’s history, its role in setting global film standards, and Ujwal’s own contributions, including US patents for film-to-digital conversion technology.

In 2011, Ujwal established the SMPTE India section to connect Indian technicians with global film technology advancements. He explains the importance of SMPTE’s digital cinema standards, especially for ensuring consistent color calibration in digital projections, particularly at film festivals.

As a member of the Academy’s Science and Technology Council, Ujwal helped shape future global film standards. In the conversation moving ahead, he highlighted the evolution of film preservation in India, stressing the need to protect the country’s vast film heritage from degradation, particularly due to the challenges posed by older film formats. The talk also covered how Ujwal’s work bridges technology, preservation, and global collaboration in the film industry.

In 1964, the government established the National Film Archives in Pune to store and preserve film prints, which have been gradually digitized through a massive, ongoing project. This includes the restoration of 5,000 films, aimed at showcasing India’s rich film history to younger generations. According to Ujwal, the restoration process is labor-intensive, requiring frame-by-frame work. He emphasized that advancements in artificial intelligence have helped streamline this, making the process more cost-effective and efficient.

Further, Ujwal shared insights on challenges unique to India, such as the use of different film stocks, which require specialized restoration techniques. He mentioned that despite these hurdles, the efforts have garnered global attention. He stated that the initiative has served as a vital resource for researchers, offering historical insights into Indian culture, dance, and music.

At the end he highlighted that the preservation project is ongoing, with parallel efforts by regional governments and private entities to preserve regional cinema. He shared enthusiasm that India has the potential to become a global hub for film restoration, creating job opportunities for the younger generation in this specialized field.