FIAT/IFTA World Conference 2025

This presentation explores experimental machine learning techniques in film restoration, focusing on the development of small custom trained AI models tailored to the needs of archival materials. Unlike commercial AI tools optimized for contemporary media, these models are designed specifically to address the unique forms of degradation found in historical film elements. By working with localized datasets and film specific characteristics, the approach avoids overgeneralization and preserves the distinct aesthetics of the original material.

The presentation covers restoration tasks such as color recovery, either guided by reference materials (such as prints, internegatives, or digitized analog elements) or inferred from culturally or artistically analogous sources when references are unavailable, and spatial repair techniques including gauge alignment, generational recovery, and analog video reconstruction.

Emphasis is placed on ethical considerations, particularly the use of locally executed models trained only on authorized data, thereby respecting rights and provenance while ensuring archival transparency. This work argues for a shift toward practical and ethically sourced AI tools that empower archives to perform restoration work at scale without compromising historical integrity or legal clarity.

This project explores how Italian public television has constructed the figure of the "foreigner" – colonized subject, migrant, refugee, the "other" – through the lens of the RAI audiovisual archive. The investigation focuses on a curated selection of programs and archival footage from the 1950s to the present, analyzing the evolution of language, imagery, and narrative frames linked to otherness. In the absence of television material from the colonial era, the project examines how that historical experience has been portrayed retrospectively, shedding light on how public broadcasting has either restored or erased its memory. From this starting point, the analysis moves through narratives of internal migration, immigration flows from the 1980s onward, and evolving discourses around multiculturalism, national identity, and public security.

The aim is to show how the audiovisual archive functions not only as a repository of public memory, but also as an active agent in shaping cultural categories and hierarchies. In an information-saturated world, still dominated by polarized discourse, revisiting the archival past becomes a way to reflect critically on its responsibilities in the present. Particular attention will be devoted to the language used in TV programs, highlighting how expressions such as vu cumprà (a derogatory term for migrant street vendors), extracomunitario (a bureaucratic term for non-EU foreigners, often used pejoratively), and maranza (slang for a working-class youth with stereotyped behavior and style, sometimes racialized) have helped shape a distorted and often stigmatizing imaginary. Through this focus on vocabulary and visual rhetoric, the project contributes to the broader debate on the public role of broadcast archives, not only as tools for historical inquiry, but as critical spaces for understanding the continuities and fractures in representations of the other, and for exploring the complex relationship between media, society, and alterity.

On both shores of the Mediterranean, Tunisia and Italy have a shared past. Waves of migration have followed one another for centuries between the two shores, leading to the settlement of the Italian community in Tunisia.

Migration and integration have accompanied the trajectory of Italians in Tunisia, we propose through this multi-media audiovisual and written research to present the evidence provided by the archives on the Italian-Tunisian heritage, this archive search concerned the archives of Tunisian Television, namely the two collections of television programs from the 80s “Italiet” and “Sikiliet”, on Italy and Sicily as web as the two seasons of the Ramadan soap opera “harga” from the years 2021-2022.

We also used written references from the Tunisian National Archives and the National Library, as well as online resources and books written by Italian researchers with a migratory past from the cities of Livorno, Tuscany, Sicily, and Genoa.

This research is essential for tracing the contemporary history of Tunisia and Italy, of the Italians who remained in Tunisia since its independence in 1956.

It is essential to represent the cultural framework of Italian migrants and the framework of the professions practiced in Tunisia, as well as the impact of their integration into Tunisian culture in search of a shared Mediterranean identity.

Resources:
- Tunisian Television Archives
- Archives of the National Archives of Tunisia
- Archives of the National Library
- Online Resources

Since 1959 the Netherlands have been sourcing natural Gas through a company (NAM) from under the feet of the people of Groningen. This has been a success story for more than 50 years. Working in the Natural Gas Industry was something to be proud of.

Then came the earthquakes. In the province of Groningen people started seeing cracks in their homes. It took years to get the Dutch government and the NAM to acknowledge the root cause of the problem, the mining of natural Gas.
The government decided to handle the situation, but nothing much happened. The inhabitants of Groningen that were effected sometimes had to leave their home for years.

In short, the government failed their people as was acknowledged: Between 2021 and 2023, the Dutch House of Representatives conducted a parliamentary survey on the extraction of natural gas in the Groningen field and the long-term problems that resulted from this. The aim of this survey was to gain insight into the decision-making process on natural gas extraction, earthquakes, damage handling and reinforcement.

The Groningen Archives (Groninger Archieven) has made it company policy to document everything about the mining of Natural Gas, the good years and the bad.

We have hundreds of 16mm films of the early years of Gasunie (an energy network operator. In the Netherlands. We also preserve oral history interviews. The interviews reflect the early years as well as the end years of this period. The interviews are conducted by a foundation, Ooggetuigen van de geschiedenis (Eye witnesses of history).

We were an advising party, as well as the preserving and publicising party. We want the stories of the people to be part of this archive, researchable online, and we think that we can add to truth finding and our work can help relieve the trauma of the effected people by letting them be part of the archive. Actual people with a voice and a story.

The talk will be about our future plans and idea’s for an inclusive approach to archiving.

This presentation focuses on a significant initiative undertaken by the Royal Danish Library in response to the Danish Media Agreement (2023-2026), aimed at enhancing public access to the archives of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). The purpose of this project is to empower Danish citizens to explore their shared history and gain insight into the events that have shaped their society.

Pivotal to the project is the establishment of a licensing agreement with the rights holders to facilitate public access to the content. Another key component of the initiative is the development of a user-friendly access platform for the DR archive, designed to allow users to search and access content without requiring login credentials. The effort includes enriching metadata to address the needs of users while ensuring compliance with legal standards. The project also entails processing DR's extensive audio and video collection spanning from 1931 to 2025, making broadcasts identifiable and accessible through segmentation and metadata enrichment processes.

To achieve these objectives, the project employs agile methodologies and integrates user experience (UX) design techniques, including focus groups and user journey mapping, to create an intuitive interface that enhances user engagement.

Ultimately, this initiative aims to preserve and provide access to DR's invaluable content, reinforcing the democratic foundation of society by ensuring equitable access to cultural heritage. This aligns with the Royal Danish Library's commitment to fostering a democratic and informed knowledge society, making this presentation a vital contribution to discussions on digital accessibility and cultural preservation.