ONLY SUPER 8 TELECINEMA IN 6K RESOLUTION IN GALICIA: FUMEO BY MMT – SOUL AND RESOLUTION

In a quiet corner of Galicia, in the northwest of Spain, surrounded by reels, film emulsions, and a deep passion for photochemical cinema, a unique machine has just been installed. A system that doesn’t simply scan film—it honors it, understands it, and transfer to digital with respect.

As of this week, at IB Cinema in La Corunna, we proudly host the only Super 8 (and 8 mm) telecinema with true 6K resolution in Galicia. This accomplishment has been made possible thanks to the talent and dedication of an exceptional ally: engineer Martin M. Ten, an Argentine-British designer, and one of the world’s most respected figures in narrow-gauge film telecine a technology.

Martin’s clients include professional archives and broadcasters around the globe, scattered across this vast and boundless planet. Yet, a few months ago, despite his busy schedule, he accepted a very personal challenge I proposed:

—“How would you feel about designing a 6K model that, without compromising state-of-the-art technology, paid tribute to the legendary Fumeo 9131?”

That Fumeo 9131 was a key piece of equipment at IB Cinema for nearly 25 years, back when PAL video quality was more than enough for us.

My own unit, out of service since 2008 or 2009, was eventually donated to my friend Matteo Richetti. But its memory lingered... and demanded a second life.

Rather than simply modify an existing system, Martin redesigned his MMT platform from scratch, drawing inspiration from the silhouette, philosophy, and performance of the classic Fumeo 9131. He began manufacturing components over Easter, and just this past Friday arrived in A Coruña, carefully transporting every element—along with an infectious energy and enthusiasm.

From that point on, it’s been Stakhanovite days of up to 15 hours, with Álex and I working side by side with Martin. For instance, this past Saturday we labored from 7:00 AM until well after 10:00 PM. Today, Sunday, after all this shared effort, the machine is practically complete, pending only a few final software modules.

And yes—it’s a joy, and almost an act of cultural resistance, to announce that Galicia now has a telecinema capable of scanning Super 8 and 8 mm film in real 6K resolution. This Fumeo by MMT unit doesn’t just work at 6K—it can also operate in 4K, 2K, and even HD, accommodating projects with limited computing resources who may not be able to handle the massive data loads of ultra-high-resolution scans.

Just a few days ago, I cleared out our old magnetic sound recording room. From now on, that space will serve as the telecine lab—a place where every frame, even if damaged or aged, can be scanned and respected.

Because here, we do not digitize for the sake of digitizing.
We extract the essence, preserve the grain, maintain the texture—especially of color reversal originals—with a fidelity that has never before been achieved in Europe. The goal is not merely to convert film to digital, but to preserve its soul, its unique visual richness, the splendor of Kodachrome, Ektachrome 7294, or Fujichrome Velvia.

Thanks to its incredible resolution, the Fumeo by MMT allows us to retain even the tiniest detail of the film emulsion. Unlike other Spanish labs, this machine enables ultra-stable scanning of damaged or perforated film, ensuring smooth, frame-by-frame capture.

The results are so remarkable that, while the Fumeo by MMT will be primarily reserved for our own projects, we are open—on a very selective basis—to working with certain scientific, historical, or experimental archives in our region. Projects that inspire us and that deserve to be rescued with a level of fidelity previously unthinkable in Galicia. And always with in-person hand-off and retrieval—no couriers involved.

This new system, developed by Martin M. Ten with extraordinary sensitivity to the Fumeo legacy, features frame-by-frame scanning, software control, optical stabilization, color processing designed for reversal film, and of course, the ability to export in RAW or ProRes, depending on project requirements.

A machine… and a manifesto.

Beyond the technical specs, beyond the formats, the Fumeo by MMT telecine is a statement of intent:
Here in Galicia, film is not just projected—it is cared for, studied, and revived.
With the tools of the 21st century, yet without betraying the artisan essence of the 20th.

And in these times of digital noise and fleeting memory, that is not just a technical achievement. It’s an act of love. And a form of resistance.

VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL: PULSE AQUÍ