From June 22 to July 3, 2026, the Archive Circulation Initiative and Aflam organized an intensive training workshop on digital restoration in Marseille, as part of the 2026 Mediterranean Season. Hosted at the Polygone étoilé—the Film Flamme association’s neighborhood international cinema—and then at the Dodeskaden laboratory—a film archive dedicated to film use and practices—the workshop, led by Mathilde Rouxel, brought together twelve participants and three instructors.
The first day, focused on information, addressed issues related to film media, preservation conditions, and the ethical and political challenges of restoration. For the rest of the week, at the Polygone étoilé—managed by Martine Derain—participants were divided into three specialization tracks: image restoration using the Diamant HS-ART software, led by Nadim Kamel; color grading in DaVinci Resolve Studio, led by Elige Nehmeh; and sound restoration using iZotope RX 11 and ProTools, led by Ossen El Sawaf.
The training focused on the restoration of the film *Les Marais*, directed in 1976 by Iraqi filmmaker Kassem Hawal. Its images and sound—which constitute a valuable historical record of the lives of the people living in the great marshes of southern Iraq—were severely degraded and had taken on a magenta tint. The dedication of the instructors and participants made it possible to complete the film’s restoration and schedule its world premiere.
