Film is the most vivid cultural heritage that records the times. However, as time passes, film deteriorates, and once lost footage is difficult to recover. AI is now opening a new era where old films can be restored, visual assets can be permanently preserved, and everyone can easily access them.
Mo Eun-young, director of the Korean Film Archive, is drawing attention to whether AI can fully convey the memories of a century of Korean cinema to future generations.
Film is National Heritage
Film is not just entertainment; it is a record that vividly captures the history, culture, and daily life of an era. An old film contains the streets, architecture, language, and cultural practices of its time.
However, film deteriorates over time. Colors fade, scratches appear on the screen, and sound quality deteriorates. If the preservation environment is poor, the original can be lost entirely.
Since its establishment in 1974, the Korean Film Archive has been a full member of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), and its mission to protect film heritage is not just about preserving the past but also about passing on Korea's cultural identity to the future. AI is opening new possibilities in this field.
AI Revives Old Films
In the past, film restoration took months or even years, as experts had to manually restore damaged frames one by one.
AI is fundamentally changing the restoration process. It can automatically remove dust and scratches, restore faded colors, and improve damaged sound.
AI analyzes past footage to estimate the original quality and correct frames. As restoration speeds up, more classic films can be saved.
The core value of AI restoration is to revive the legacy of a century of Korean cinema in the digital space.
Creating an AI Video Archive
The Korean Film Archive houses a vast amount of film and video materials. The challenge is that the more materials there are, the harder it is to find the desired footage.
AI directly analyzes the footage. It automatically recognizes characters, locations, historical contexts, and key scenes, generating metadata that allows for natural language searches.
"1960s Seoul streets."
"Films about the Korean War."
"Scenes of rain."
This opens an era where one can find desired footage without knowing the title. The archive is evolving from a simple storage facility to an AI-based video knowledge platform.
AI Changes Film Research
Film research is also entering the AI era. In the past, researchers had to watch hundreds of films to gather data.
Now, AI analyzes directors' styles, filming techniques, and characteristics of footage from different eras, helping researchers find necessary scenes. Students can study film history more easily, and researchers can quickly analyze vast amounts of data.
AI does not replace researchers; it becomes a new tool that enhances the depth and speed of research.
Video Data Becomes a New Content Industry
The materials held by the archive should not remain as mere records of the past. In the AI era, video data becomes the source of a new industry.
Filmmakers can study classic films to create new works, and documentary producers can utilize historical footage. AI companies can learn from video data to develop new services. Education, tourism, gaming, and exhibition industries can also leverage film heritage data.
Good data should create new content, and new content should foster a virtuous cycle of growth in the cultural industry.
AI Brings Films Closer to the Public
The archive should evolve beyond a storage institution to become a platform where the public can learn about and enjoy films. Generative AI narrows the gap between the public and cinema.
When viewers ask questions about films, AI can explain the director, historical context, and filming techniques. It can provide educational content for students, simple language for general audiences, and in-depth information for experts.
The public will no longer have to search for information. We are entering an era where AI recommends and explains the films needed. In fact, the archive's classic film YouTube channel has already gained 1.05 million subscribers, expanding its reach to the public.
AI-based services can further deepen and personalize this connection.
AI and K-Movie Connect the World
Korean cinema is already recognized for its global competitiveness. Now, it is time to introduce past masterpieces to the world.
By utilizing AI translation, subtitles, and voice technology, old Korean films can be easily enjoyed by global audiences. The archive should evolve from merely preserving films to supporting the globalization of K-movies.
Korean film heritage can become a new global cultural asset.
The Korean Film Archive Must Transform into an AI Organization
AI is not just a technology for film restoration. It can assist in material classification, searching, metadata creation, research support, and more.
Staff can move away from repetitive tasks to focus on film restoration, research, international cooperation, and developing new services. The archive must transition from a digital archive to an AI archive institution.
The task assigned to Mo Eun-young is not limited to preserving films. It is to utilize AI to eternally preserve Korea's film heritage and make it a cultural asset that can be shared by the public and the world.
AI helps restore old films, analyze vast footage, and enables anyone to easily find the films they want. Film heritage expands into research, education, tourism, and the content industry.
Transforming from a storage institution to an AI platform that revives films. Evolving from an organization that preserves the past to one that supports future content industries.
Continuing the memories of a century of Korean cinema through AI forever. This is the new future that the Korean Film Archive must create.
:Mo Eun-young, Director of the Korean Film Archive:
Mo Eun-young has extensive field experience in film screening, planning, and festival operations, having served as a programmer for the Seoul International Environmental Film Festival, Seoul Indie Animation Festival, and Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, as well as the head of the CinemaTech Department at the Korean Film Archive and the executive director of the Seoul Independent Film Festival.
Appointed as the director of the Korean Film Archive in March this year, she has begun a three-year term, preparing for the next decade of Korean film heritage through AI-based digital restoration, advanced video archiving, and the introduction of generative AI search services.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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