Portuguese Cinema Digitisation Plan
Since 2014, Cinemateca Portuguesa has been developing the Portuguese Cinema Digitisation Plan, seeking to respond to the challenges posed by the technological and digital transition in the film industry.
Initially funded by Cinemateca Portuguesa itself, the Digitisation Plan has expanded through partnerships with the Plano Nacional de Cinema (National Film Literacy Plan) and the FILMar project (supported by the European Financial Mechanism EEA Grants). In 2022, the Digitisation Plan received a decisive boost through the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), which allowed for an unprecedented expansion of the work already carried out.
Thanks to this support and these partnerships, more than a thousand Portuguese films were digitised until the end of 2025, covering different periods and genres of the national cinematography. From 1896 to 2010, this selection covers almost the entire history of Portuguese cinema, providing unprecedented access to this heritage.
Why are we digitising Portuguese cinema?
Following the completion of the transition to digital projection in Portuguese cinemas, few theatres are now capable of showing films in their original film formats (35mm, 16mm, etc.). Furthermore, analogue prints suffer wear and tear with each screening, and replacing damaged prints will become increasingly difficult in a future defined by the end of film stock production and the shutdown of comercial photochemical laboratories. It is therefore imperative to produce digital copies of Portugal’s film heritage to allow access to it outside Cinemateca’s premises.
How are Portuguese films being digitised?
The mission of digitisation is to bring film heritage to current and future generations in a way that is as faithful as possible to the original films. Its goal is therefore to produce digital copies that, as far as possible, represent the appearance of an analogue print as it was seen at the time of its release. As such, Cinemateca Portuguesa follows a rigorous digitisation policy, based on decades of experience in the conservation and restoration of Portuguese film masters. This project follows the international technical and ethical guidelines established by the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) and values the crucial involvement of authors, directors, and cinematographers and sound directors in various stages of the digitisation process.
What is the objective of the Portuguese Cinema Digitisation Plan?
The objective is to disseminate and promote Portuguese film heritage more widely by producing high-resolution digital masters which, as faithful digital representations of the films, enable the creation of Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs), i.e. digital copies for distribution and digital projection in cinemas. The digital masters resulting from the digitisation process can also be used to produce elements for television, DVD and Blu-ray editions, streaming or VoD platforms.
How are the rights holders of cinematographic works involved?
In its work of digitisation and cultural dissemination, Cinemateca values all types of cooperation and partnerships with all those interested in making Portuguese cinema accessible to the public.
In order to enable the circulation of these new digital masters, Cinemateca establishes a relationship with the rights holders through one of the following options: an Agreement for the Transfer and Use of New Digital Masters for Cinematographic Works, which allows the rights holder to acquire a digital copy of the work in question for commercial exploitation; and a Film Distribution Agreement, which grants Cinemateca Portuguesa an exclusive licence to exploit the work economically in Portugal and abroad with revenue share conditions established between the two parties.
The draft agreements are available for consultation here:
If you are the rights holder of a work included in the Digitization Plan and would like more information, please write to acesso@cinemateca.pt.
How can I find out which films have been digitised?
You can check the list of films that have already been digitised here: