As if Netflix's present woes weren't already bad, Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation — the non-profit organization Scorsese set up in 1990 for the preservation of classic movies — has just announced the creation of a new online streaming platform.
The Film Foundation Restoration Screening Room will be available free of charge, starting from May 9, with a special screening of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's I Know Where I'm Going! — a bona fide classic of post-war cinema. Restored by The Film Foundation and BFI National Archive, the movie will be available for a 24-hour window. New movies will be available on the second Monday of each month, so make sure your calendars are free for June 13, too.
A press release states that "viewers will experience the excitement of a live event, with introductions and conversations with filmmakers and archivists, providing an inside look at the restoration process". It continues that the Restoration Screening Room will be "appointment viewing, with screenings starting at a set time, and available for a limited period, distinguishing it from other streaming options". Yep — Netflix is gonna be quaking in its boots with this one. And somebody should check on MUBI.
Scorsese says:
“We’re looking forward to making these beautiful restorations available to a wide audience. Many of these presentations will feature restorations that are rarely seen, with myself and other filmmakers sharing why these films are important, how they have impacted our lives, and why it’s crucial that they be preserved.”
Margaret Bodde, the Executive Director of The Film Foundation, says:
“We’re grateful to Oracle and DelphiQuest for making this possible, and we’re thrilled to share these restorations with new audiences. The Restoration Screening Room aligns perfectly with the foundation’s mission, and we’re eager to connect with people around the world who love cinema.”
Excitingly, the screening of the classic romance I Know Where I'm Going! — the restoration of which was played at Cannes Classics last year, and had a lavish UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival — will be introduced by Scorsese, supplemented by interviews with the likes of Thelma Schoonmaker Powell, Joanna Hogg, Tilda Swinton, and Kevin Macdonald. They all apparently consider the classic to be one of their favorite movies.
Other upcoming monthly presentations include La Strada, the 1954 classic of neo-realist cinema from Federico Fellini, John Huston's Moulin Rouge from 1952, and a film noir double feature of 1945's Detour (directed by Edgar G. Ulmer) and 1946's The Chase (from Arthur D. Ripley). Others are to be announced reasonably soon.