Cinemateca Brasileira invites researchers to uncover a collection of nitrates

The technical activities of Brazilian Cinematheque were paralyzed for almost two years, until Friends of the Cinematheque Society assume its full management in 2021. Since then, measures have been implemented to preserve the institution’s collection and history, as well as Brazilian cinema.

In 2023, a group of researchers — formed by Rodrigo Archangelo, Tamara Santos, Giuliana Ghiraldelli, Iago Cordeiro Ribeiro, Igor Andrade Pontes, Marcella Grecco de Araújo, Yasmin Gabrielle Rahmeier Souza, Felipe Queiroz Correa e Castro, Leandro Sampaio de Melo, Luisa Malzoni, Marcela Sonim It is Mariana Menna — started Nitrates Project.

For the first time in more than seven decades, the Brazilian Cinematheque received resources to revisit the collection of cellulose nitrates in its collection in order to catalogue, conserve and duplicate works from the 1910s to 1950s.

In addition to the technical care of the films, researchers at Cinematheque are sharing their experiences during the project in training courses. The first of them, Pioneering Women of Cinematook place in December last year and was taught by Marcela Grecco. Another, called Cinematographic Culture and its History: cinema libraries, film societies, festivals, filmographies and historiographieswon a place in Cinematheque — and on YouTube — at the end of April.

The most recent course offered by the organization taught its subscribers everything from accessing the Cultural Contents Bank to understanding the Brazilian Filmography database. Newsreels, documentaries, fiction, home films and advertising for short, medium and feature films were analyzed.

The researchers rotated seats in the Oscarito room during the four-day course and were very thorough in presenting the work that has been developed over the course of a year. Even though they have made countless discoveries about the nitrate collection and Brazilian history, many gaps need to be filled.

Affected by fires that occurred in 1957, 1969, 1982 and 2016, the nitrate collection is, naturally, deteriorating. Excerpts and even film titles remain lost. Therefore, the team at Brazilian Cinematheque invites professionals to continue their long research into this type of support.

The results of Nitrates Project will be presented on May 28th, when it comes to an end. In June, interested parties can attend the course Newsreels in Brazil: news and entertainment in Brazilian cinemas in the 20th century. It is worth remembering that, although registration is sold out, it is possible to watch the event on YouTube or risk a visit to the venue itself. Cinematheque to check if there are vacancies available.

Although the Cinematheque has reopened to the public in 2022, Rodrigo Archangelo reinforced the invitation for society to increasingly integrate space: “The intention of this here is to open the doors of Cinematheque“.

“Knowledge is created here,” he added. Follow the company’s social networks Brazilian Cinematheque to stay up to date with the schedule of films, courses and other activities: