A two-day workshop led by film restorer and filmmaker Melina Pafundi

28-29 March 2026

REGISTER AT THIS LINK

We have a limited number of spaces and sign-up works on a first-come, first-served basis.

Good to know: PFL provides equipment and material for the workshop. Lunch is provided.

Come wearing old clothes that can get stained and chemicals on.

If you have any questions email: polarfilmlab@gmail.com

This workshop introduces participants to copper mordant toning, a colouration technique from the early days of cinema.

We will try out different dyeing techniques and learn the history and chemistry behind them, as well as important safety practices.

No filmmaking experience needed-we welcome analogue experimenters, but also anyone interested in film conservation or history.

Melina Pafundi is an Argentine filmmaker and restorer based in Berlin (Labor Berlin). Her work in 16 and 35 mm investigates colonial archives and suppressed memories, combining philosophy and analog technique. She has screened at Oberhausen, BFI Flare, and FIDBA, among others. Notable works include Futuro, When the Androgynous Child (2019), and Gedenken (2018). After collaborating on film restoration in Guinea-Bissau, she developed Äquator Song, a cinematic intervention that offers aesthetic reparation 

We ask for a limited fee of 300kr to cover some of the costs of materials, but if you are unwaged/low-waged get in touch as we have some free spaces. We aim to make Polar Film Lab as accessible as possible, for as broad a group as possible, and aim to offer as much free or on a ‘Pay what you can’ framework as possible - if you receive project funding or have an income, we ask that you help us keep doing what we are doing by paying a small fee.