As time progresses, life's most beautiful films tend to fade into obscurity. This is partly due to drastic advancements in technology, which make older film formats incompatible with modern-day viewing standards.
Though it isn't impossible to watch the films of yesteryear, you'll probably have noticed a downgrade in viewing quality when attempting to do so.
MUBI – a global streaming service, production company, and film distributor – has partnered up with The Film Foundation to bring back 15 newly-restored films to Malaysian viewers.
The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by Martin Scorsese in 1990, works with archives and studios to lovingly restore and preserve films from all over the world.
As part of the organization's World Cinema Project, you'll be able to watch these 15 films over the coming months on MUBI:
1. The Child of Another (Jean-Pierre Dikongué-Pipa, 1975) – Available now.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
Ngando and Ndomé are two star-crossed lovers from Cameroon. Though they wish to get married, Ngando can't afford his lover's dowry – something that still holds an integral role in Cameroonian marriages. Things get turned upside down when Ndomé gets pregnant, which means she has to get married. One is arranged hastily with Ngando's uncle. But Ngando decides to do the unthinkable on the wedding day.
2. Pixote: The Law of the Weakest (Héctor Babenco, 1980) – Available now.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
The story focuses on 11-year-old orphan Pixote and his group of friends as they navigate the horrors of reform school before finally escaping to the streets of S?o Paolo, Brazil. Not being able to rely on anyone to protect them, the group is forced to survive on the only economies open to them: Sex and drugs.
3. Chess of the Wind (Mohammad Reza Aslani, 1976) – April 11, 2022.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
After the death of a noble house's first lady, conflict brews among the remaining members of the household for the inheritance left behind.
4. Limite (Mário Peixoto, 1931) – April 21, 2022.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
Two women and a man recall their recent past as they sit in a small boat that's slowly drifting endlessly in the water. One woman has escaped from prison, the other merely a desperate soul. The man anguishes in heartbreak after losing his lover. None of these 'drifters' have the strength or desire to live, and they've reached the limit of their existences.
5. The Law of the Border (Lüfti ?. Akad, 1966) – Coming in May.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
Hidir’s chief is involved in smuggling and gets shot in Deliviran, a village near Urfa close to the Syrian border. Aiming to steer clear of illegal activities, Hidir unfortunately becomes a victim of circumstance, being forced to go the opposite direction. However, things could change if he agrees to take a herd of sheep across the border.
6. Oh, Sun (Med Hondo, 1967) – Coming in May.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
An African immigrant that finds his way to France struggles to secure any form of employment as he faces racism and discrimination in the predominantly-white European country.
7. A River Called Titas (Ritwik Ghatak, 1973) – Coming in June.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
Shot in East Bengal shortly after the independence of Bangladesh, the story focuses on the songs, speech, rituals, and rhythms of a once self-sufficient community and culture swept away.
8. Revenge (Ermek Shinarbaev, 1989) – Coming in July.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
Soungou is a young and fragile Korean boy. He carries a heavy burden on his shoulders, inherited in his childhood from his father. But there's only one thing on the boy's mind: Revenge. If he doesn't fulfil tradition and appease his father's soul, he may never be able to find his purpose in life.
9. The Color of Pomegranates (Sergei Parajanov, 1969) – Coming in July.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
The film acts as a chronicle of Sayat-Nova – a revered 18th-century Armenian poet and musician. From childhood all to way to his death, the film addresses several relationships he had with women, including his muse.
10. Transes (Ahmed El Maanouni, 1981) – Coming in August.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
Groundbreaking Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane perform a series of electrifying live performances in Tunisia, Morocco, and France. The band became an international sensation thanks to its rebellious lyrics and sublime, fully acoustic sound.
11. The Woman With a Knife (Timité Bassori, 1969) – Coming in August.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
A young intellectual traumatized by too strict an upbringing in Africa calls into question the traditions that pervade society and culture.
12. Dry Summer (Metin Erksan, 1963) – Coming in September.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
Setting out to ruin his competition, a scheming tobacco farmer diverts the local water to his own property. Soon, a love triangle develops between the farmer, his more decent brother, and the beautiful villager who the latter takes as a bride.
13. Mysterious Object At Noon (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2000) – Coming in October.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
This semi-documentary puts us in the eyes of director Apichatpong Weerasethakul as he provides an original portrayal of his citizens. From battling food vendors to a boxer addicted to TV, as well as a pious policewoman and a loveless rubber-tree tapper, each individual presents an engaging look into what life is like for different people.
14. Black Girl (Ousmane Sembène, 1966) – Coming soon.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
Eager to find a better life abroad, a Senegalese woman takes up a job as a governess for a French family. However, following the family's move to the south of France, the woman finds her duties reduced to those of a maid. As she navigates her new life, she comes to terms with the realities of race and mistreatment.
15. The Wagoner (Ousmane Sembène, 1963) – Coming soon.
IMAGE: The Film Foundation / MUBI
Senegal's postcolonial fate is told through the daily routine of a wagoner. From the segregation between a shanty town and the middle-class French district to the harsh realities of poverty, The Wagoner is full of political bite.
Which film are you most excited to watch?
Click here to check out MUBI and its vibrant gallery of films.
Click here to learn more about The Film Foundation.
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