9.12.2008
T-Hrvatski Telekom launched together with its partners the Croatian State Archives - Croatian Film Archives, Jadran film and Croatia film a project of digitalization of the Croatian film classics, entitled MAXtv Digiteka.
The project has a goal to preserve the Croatian film heritage by means of modern technologies and to make it available to the largest number of users possible. The first two digitalized films are «Breza» by Ante Babaja from 1967 and a popular children’s film „Vuk samotnjak“ by Obrad Gluščević dated 1972.
MAXtv Digiteka has been intended as a multi-annual project that will result in a collection of anthological works of the Croatian film, restored and digitalized, with the supreme picture quality. All films from the collection will be available in a HD resolution on MAXtv, the first interactive digital television in Croatia, one of the most innovative services on the domestic telecommunication market allowing a viewer to adapt the program to his/her needs and habits.
The original film material in a digital format meeting the world standards (DCI master) will be donated to the Croatian State Archives - Croatian Film Archives for permanent storage. It will be possible to screen these films digitally in the cinemas throughout the world.
In addition, we want to publish the digitalized films as DVDs and donate them to educational institutions, i.e. institutions dealing with audio-visual education and film popularization.
“The project of MAXtv Digiteka is intended to make a domestic film tradition closer to a modern viewer. Our aim is to leave an exceptional collection of domestic film classics to the future generations. With the project MAXtv Digiteka, T-Hrvatski Telekom proactively participates in the conservation of the Croatian cultural heritage, thus confirming its social responsibility”, said Irena Jolić Šimović, Member of the Management Board of Hrvatski Telekom and Chief Executive Officer of T-Com.
Speaking of the significance of the MAXtv Digiteka project, Carmen Lhotka, Head of the Croatian Film Archives, a department of the Croatian State Archives, emphasized that the project is not only significant for the film community, but also for the Croatian culture as a whole. “The completed digitalization process will simplify the use of film materials, and the Croatian classics will be able to be shown in digital cinemas all over the world”, said Ms. Lhotka.
MAXtv Digiteka project was implemented thanks to the generous assistance of two film companies that produced the major works of the Croatian cinematography: Jadran film and Croatia film.
“Throughout its rich history, Jadran film produced the most significant Croatian films which will be restored, thanks to this project, to their original version they had at a premiere and – even more importantly, they will become available to the younger audience too, who may have not had a change to watch them”, said Vinko Grubišić, director of Jadran film, while Suzana Kijuk from Croatia film added that she hoped that the digitalization project of the Croatian film classics will encompass as many films as possible and thus save them from falling into oblivion.
Thanks to the MAXtv Digiteka project, the classic works of the seventh art have been digitalized in high resolution and then corrected to achieve a more consistent appearance. Film scanning, removal of most damages from the picture, stabilization and color correction applied to restore the picture and sound of the films into a state close to what it was at the premiere, was performed by the experts of Vizija studio.
“By eliminating the basic shortcomings, the archive material that was originally recorded in an analogue medium got a higher quality and become suitable for use in a digital format. The digitalization process improves the sound and picture quality, and makes the material archiving simpler and easier”, said Vedran Perišić, the Executive Director of the Sub-Unit for Content Development and Management in T-HT, pointing out that the most attention in the process of film restoration was paid to the correction and stabilization of colors, the sound restoration, and the elimination of larger damages to the film’s picture, but no interventions were made to some smaller damages to the picture, such as stains caused during the shooting due to the dirt on the movie camera lens or due to the nature of film material (triacetate film tape) which is over 50 years old.
It was planned for the project to continue at the pace of two digitalized films a year. “Breza” will be broadcasted at the ceremonial digital projection in the Movieplex of Centar Kaptol on Tuesday, 9 December, at 8 p.m.
Thanks to the kindness of Movieplex, the film „Vuk samotnjak“ was presented on Saturday, 6 December 2008, at the humanitarian projection for the children from the children's homes Children's Village Lekenik, Children's Home Zagreb and Caritas.
What is important about this project is a cooperation of socially responsible stakeholders who create added values and serve the public good, investing their resources into the preservation of the main values of the Croatian society and culture.