“A Life’s Work on Ice” Revisiting Peterborough’s Film History

In 1926, local filmmaker Frederick Lewis Roy (1881-1950) shot his first footage, embarking on a long-forgotten artistic venture which is finally returning to the spotlight one hundred years later. Roy was one of three generations to operate the iconic Roy Studio in Peterborough, but his films have not shared the enduring legacy of his family’s photographic work. This September, an upcoming exhibit at the Peterborough Museum & Archives aims to reinvigorate that legacy by preserving and presenting a collection of forty-six 16mm film reels which were almost destroyed by the 2004 Peterborough flood.

The flood exposed the films to harmful bacteria, mold growth, and water damage, and on arrival at the PMA, the collection was frozen to attempt to halt any ongoing decay. They stayed on ice for 21 years, until a project was developed by Bo Pickett— a student with Toronto Metropolitan University’s Film + Photography Preservation and Collection Management graduate program— to devise a method to thaw, disinfect, clean, dry, and rehouse the films, using custom-built equipment and archival materials. The project, supervised by PMA staff Jon Oldham and Owen Thompson, ran from January-July of 2025 and, despite the water damage threat, the project recovered approximately 99.5% of the footage, although many of the films are permanently damaged by either colour fading or emulsion loss.

Now, over this past summer, work has continued in partnership with TMU to digitize and digitally restore the films. With these copies, in both restored and unrestored condition, the PMA is curating an exhibit, from September to November, to showcase not only the films, but also the filmmaking career of F.L. Roy, and process created to preserve his films. Beyond that, a gala evening is planned for October 8 at the Market Hall, where a special selection of Roy’s films will be presented with live musical accompaniment.  Visitors to the PMA are invited to learn about film preservation, the local history of amateur filmmaking, and—most importantly—watch and enjoy the films and, as F.L. Roy always intended.

By: Bo Pickett – bpickett@peterborough.ca

Peterborough Museum and Archives
705-743-5180
www.peterboroughmuseumandarchives.ca

Photo Credits: Bo Pickett & PMA Collection