Michela Resta

Michela Resta is a Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Bologna, where she teaches 'Restoration of digital materials' as part of the School of Restoration's Department of Restoration. With over a decade of experience at the L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in Bologna, she brings extensive practical knowledge to her academic role, specializing in digital film restoration techniques and cinematic heritage preservation.

Her educational background includes a Bachelor's degree in Cultural Heritage Sciences from the University of Milan and a Master's degree in Cinema, Television, and Multimedia Production from the Alma Mater Studiorum of Bologna. This foundation has equipped her with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills in cultural heritage preservation.

Professor Resta's research interests focus on digital film restoration, cinematic heritage preservation, and multimedia production. Her work bridges traditional photochemical restoration processes with modern digital techniques, exploring how these methods complement and sometimes replace each other in contemporary restoration practice. She emphasizes hands-on learning through the use of Digital Restoration software (Phoenix and Diamant) and laboratory visits to provide students with practical experience alongside theoretical knowledge.

Her teaching covers comprehensive aspects of film restoration including film identification, repair and washing, grading and printing, photochemical color restoration, and digital restoration processes. Notable case studies in her curriculum include the restoration of Metropolis (2010), L'Atalante (2017), and the extended version of Once Upon a Time in America (2012). She maintains strong connections with the L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, where she previously worked for over ten years, and incorporates visits to this renowned facility into her teaching to provide students with real-world exposure to professional restoration practices.