Archivio Luce (Cinecittà, Rome) successfully employs Polar HQ to digitize severely damaged film reels

During a recent visit to Archivio Luce (Cinecittà) in Rome, Digital Film Technology (DFT) observed the successful use of the newly installed Polar HQ film scanner. Archivio Luce digitized several extensively damaged film reels including a 35mm print of an animated film released in 1938.

The Archivio Luce team expressed great admiration for the Polar HQ’s groundbreaking capability to continuously scan film previously considered unscannable.  This milestone marked a special achievement at Archivio Luce, Italy’s national film archive, which safeguards the audiovisual heritage of Italy’s 20th century and is recognized as one of the world’s preeminent collections, listed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register since 2013.

Polar HQ scans a severely damaged original 1938 print film

The team had gathered to witness the scanning of the severely compromised film reel. This specific 1938 filmhad suffered extensive damage to its perforations with large sections of the perforations alongside the reel completely missing.

At Archivio Luce, this reel had long been deemed too fragile for any scanning attempt as traditional film scanners risked causing further damage. 

“Seeing the Polar HQ successfully scan films once considered unscannable, was both surprising and deeply impressive” said Massimiliano Forcina, Head of the Digital Film Conversion Area at Archivio Luce. “This achievement sets a new reference in film scanning technology and shows how we can now safely digitize materials once thought impossible to preserve.”

Massimiliano Forcina, Head of Digital Film Conversion at Archivio Luce (Cinecittá, Rome, Italy)

The demonstration vividly showcased how cutting-edge technology can address longstanding preservation challenges. This success was enabled through a combination of advanced features designed to facilitate the scanning of fragile materials.

Among these is the film scanner’s Smart Motion Gate technology which merges continuous film movement with a start/stop mechanism. At the core of the Polar HQ is a specially designed film gate system featuring a tailored skid and pressure plate for the precise handling of fragile and damaged stock.

Combined with advanced Optical Pin Registration which maintains image stability even when perforations are missing, the scanner’s precision mechanics and advanced imaging technology ensure the safe and accurate digitization of compromised film materials.

For DFT, this achievement represents a proud moment – one that underscores how advancements in film scanning technology can ease the demanding work of film archives. 

With the Polar HQ, DFT’s dedicated development team has transformed the challenges raised by film archivists into a concrete solution delivering an advanced tool that enables the digitization of film once considered unscannable.

DFT reinforces its commitment to supporting archives worldwide with state-of-the-art technology designed to preserve cinematic heritage and ensure its accessibility in today’s digital era and for generations to come.