We had a chance to pick the brain of Phil Hopkins, one of the people behind Film Masters to ask him about what they are doing, and more importantly, why is what they are doing so important?
Kitley’s Krypt: There is a trailer on the Film Masters website, which has a collection of different clips from a variety of films. Near the end of it, three words appear separately on the screen, one after another. They are Preservation, Restoration, and then finally Celebration. As a film fan, it was the last word Celebration that really got me, because it means that it is more than just re-releasing an updated version of a film print, but doing it because it needs to be remembered, enjoyed, and yes, celebrated. Was that the initial goal for Film Masters, to help keep these films alive for future generations?
Phil Hopkins: Absolutely! For the past 20 years I’ve been involved with retrieving thousands of 35mm and 16mm films, from very rare to considered to be lost. I’ve re-located films from labs that had closed, storage facilities, basements, and other strange locations storing film.
Sadly, more often than not these films were not stored properly by the owners and so much of our cinematic history is lost due to neglect.
When I decided to reenter the industry, it was mainly to make it my mission to make sure all film that I’m involved with is relocated to proper institutions that can manage and preserve these important cinematic artifacts.
Kitley’s Krypt: There are some out there that would scoff at some of the titles you’re releasing, such as The Giant Gila Monster, The Killer Shrews, and Beast from Haunted Cave. I personally am a huge fan of these titles and am thrilled Film Masters is taking the time and effort to do these.
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