SFFP's mission is to restore, preserve, and provide access to the world’s cinematic heritage, ensuring that films—of all genres and eras—remain accessible for future generations. Through education, advocacy, and collaboration, we aim to inspire a deeper appreciation for the art of film while safeguarding its cultural significance for years to come.

RESTORATION

San Francisco Film Preserve strictly adheres to the code of ethics laid out by the International Federation of Film Archives, and aims to restore works in as faithful a manner as possible to their original appearance. We have original film elements scanned at 4K or 6K resolution. we then digitally clean and repair damaged and degraded frames, before sending the restored works to highly skilled technicians at film laboratories where the works are graded, original color is restored, and digital and film elements of the new restoration are created.

PRESERVATION

San Francisco Film Preserve’s commitment to preservation means that we create new negatives of the films we restore when a new negative is required, ensuring that these works are protected in an archive for posterity. These negatives and our film prints are housed in the SFFP collection at the Library of Congress. We preserve digital copies of our restorations, along with all project information, on archival standard LTO tapes. This ensures that all aspects of a restoration project can be correctly interpreted at any point in the future.

ACCESS

Access must be the end point of all preservation initiatives, and at San Francisco Film Preserve we are dedicated to providing access to films that were not previously accessible. Generally these films have not been available to view in any form whatsoever, while sometimes they may have been available to view,  but in forms that did not reflect the original work with great fidelity. San Francisco Film Preserve provides access to restored works online, on physical media and via streaming services. We also manage a thriving domestic and international loan program, screening titles from our restored collection all over the world.

ADVOCACY

San Francisco Film Preserve is committed to advocating for the field of moving image preservation, and raising awareness of preservation initiatives both within the Bay Area and beyond. We aim to spotlight individuals and institutions doing the hard and rarely monetarily rewarding work of protecting and providing access to the world’s moving image heritage. Our advocacy plans include a series of monthly live online presentations on topics surrounding film history and preservation, live events in the Bay Area focused on the same, and highlighting works on our website. In 2024 we also provided two travel grants for young professionals to attend the Association of Moving Image Archivists conference in Milwaukee, and we are sponsoring an essay prize with Women and Film History International.

Leadership

Kathy Rose O'Regan

Robert Byrne

Board President

John Bengtson

Secretary and Treasurer

Glen Miranker

Board Member

Kelly Ratcliff

Board Member

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