Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Mosfilm Film Concern – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
March 24, 2026
News editorial office
Today, Mosfilm boasts not only a glorious history but also cutting-edge technology: powerful workstations, modern equipment, and cutting-edge restoration software solutions. The studio consistently maintains a high standard of quality while striving to quickly respond to the enormous audience interest in its film library. For more details, see Mosfilm.ru.
WHY MOSFILM IS BRINGING ITS FILM LIBRARY BACK TO LIFE
Even with strict temperature and humidity conditions, the physical medium—film—inevitably deteriorates over time. Mosfilm's film library, containing over 2,500 titles, is a true treasure trove and a national cultural asset. To preserve these films for future generations, to enable viewers to see them on the big screen or in high quality online, the images must be converted to digital. In other words, restored. This is the demand of the times!
At the Telekino production complex
The main goal of restoration is to return the image to its original appearance, conveying the author's intent to the viewer. It's important to consider one nuance: Soviet filmmakers often had to work with film that was far from ideal, with its peculiar color rendition. Therefore, today's restoration process also involves tactful "improvement" of the image.
Active digital restoration began at the studio back in the 2000s. While 25 years ago, simply converting film to digital was considered sufficient, today technology has advanced significantly, making the process complex and multi-step. The modern standard of quality is 4K.
THE PATH OF RESTORATION: FROM FILM TO PIXEL
The starting point for the specialists at the Telekino PC workshop is the negative, the source material from which cinema prints were once made. The negatives are stored at Gosfilmofond, which makes them available to Mosfilm upon request. If the original film is lost, the restorers turn to the oldest surviving positive print or other film source material.
Sound requires no less attention: magnetic tapes degrade over time, acquiring noise, clicks, and crackles. Therefore, for high-quality work, the original recording or an earlier re-recording is essential.
Film storage at Mosfilmofond
The process itself begins with ultrasonic cleaning of the film to remove dust and dirt. This is followed by scanning—converting the analog image to digital. The resulting 4K file undergoes primary color correction (converting the tones from negative to positive).
The most painstaking stage, requiring utmost concentration, is frame-by-frame cleaning. Particularly challenging "subjects" for the restorer include torn frames, spliced negatives, and deep scratches. In complex cases, decisions are made collectively. According to one of the rules of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), if a defect cannot be removed during digital restoration, it is left in place.
The process of scanning film
In the color correction room
Color is a key element. Mosfilm often involves members of the film crew in developing the color scheme. For example, cinematographer Vladimir Yusov oversaw the first restoration of Andrei Rublev, while cinematographer Vladimir Klimov contributed to the work on Twenty-Six Days in the Life of Dostoevsky and A Horseman Named Death, and cinematographer Nikolai Nemolyaev contributed to the work on The Courier.
Artificial Intelligence and the Human Eye: A Balance of Technologies
Modern restoration programs are equipped with tools featuring artificial intelligence. However, Telekino specialists use AI algorithms with caution—primarily for general cleaning and only under strict supervision. Automation runs the risk of simplifying the image and blurring important details.
Work as a restoration specialist at Telekino
Algorithms, when "comparing" adjacent frames, can mistakenly identify a small, important detail, a blurry texture, or a chip as a defect and simply remove it. The restorer's job is to prevent such "distortions." The final step is to combine the image with the soundtrack and evaluate its quality on the big screen by a special commission headed by Mosfilm's chief engineer.
FACTS AND FIGURES: THE SCALE OF THE WORK DONE
Four specialists are directly involved in the image restoration: M. Aleksakhina, E. Solovieva, M. Tusmatov, and V. Shakhnazarov. Color correction is by I. Agafonova, scanning is by E. Verlochev, and sound is by I. Valiev and M. Kalinin. The team of professionals is small, but the pace of work is steadily increasing: 14 films underwent full restoration in 2022, 18 in 2023, and 21 in 2025. In recent years, collections of films by Sergei Bondarchuk, Andrei Tarkovsky, Leonid Gaidai, Eldar Ryazanov, Georgy Daneliya, and other renowned Mosfilm directors have achieved new image and sound quality.
A still from the film epic "War and Peace" before and after restoration.
In recent years, Mosfilm specialists have restored over 270 films. Looking at the broader trend:
From 2009 to 2021: 96 films were restored in 2K format, and almost three dozen films were upgraded to HD 1080p. From 2019 to 2026: Telekino PC specialists completed a colossal amount of work in 4K format: 103 films — full 4K restoration; 56 films — partial 4K restoration (Phoenix automatic cleaning and color correction); 10 films — color correction of 4K scans.
The Film Concern carries out all restoration work exclusively at its own expense, without the involvement of government or sponsorship funding.
The studio's excellence is recognized by numerous screenings at major international film festivals, including Berlin, Cannes, and Venice. In 2017, Mosfilm won the Grand Prix at the Venice Film Festival in the Venice Classics section for its restoration of Elem Klimov's Come and See.
WHERE TO WATCH?
The restored paintings are now available to everyone. They are published on the studio's official channels in "Forgotten Melody for Flute" (1987) by Eldar Ryazanov.
You can see masterpieces on the big screen at Mosfilm's Cinema Center. For example, the premiere of the latest restoration of "Andrei Rublev" has already taken place there. A program of classic films is shown daily at the state-of-the-art four-screen theater.
Subscribe to Mosfilm's official resources! We're waiting for you at the cinema!
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.