In assessing possible film titles for restoration, short films usually do not come up for evaluation. Rare as it might be, there are still occasions when short films have been selected to be restored. However, the process has revealed dilemmas and challenges that are unique from the practice of feature film restorations. Focusing on the experimental-narrative short films of Rajendra Gour, one of Singapore’s earliest known filmmaker-to-date to have works featured at international film festivals, this presentation will assess the questions that arose during the restoration process of this short form. Using in particular a recently discovered title EYES, challenges like knowledge gaps, the lack of documentation and the experimental nature of the filmmaking added to the challenges when embarking on its restoration. The definition and the best practice that had to be adopted and adapted tested our intellection as archivists on restoration ethics and practices.

Matthew Yang
Archive Officer
Asian Film Archive, Singapore

Matthew Yang is the Archive Officer with the Asian Film Archive in Singapore. He supports the Archivist to manage film restoration and digitisation projects, process born-digital moving-image content, and contributes to the planning and maintenance of the digital preservation system. Most recently, he presented a paper on pushing for preservation efforts through inter-agency relations at SEAPAVAA’s 25th Virtual Conference 2021.