Film remastering outfit, Silver Salt Restoration, has been acquired by John Gore Media Limited following a deal signed last week.
The studio based in London, has been behind a string of critically and commercially successful 4K restorations including American Werewolf in London, Don’t Look Now, Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV series), Lavender Hill Mob, Bruce Lee’s Golden Harvest boxset, The Deer Hunter, Narc, Flash Gordon, Cross of Iron, Brideshead Revisited, Watership Down, Get Carter, The Lady Killers, and more.
Founded in 2017 by industry veterans Steve Bearman, Ray King, Mark Bonnici, Anthony Badger and Nick Pannaman, the company centres on film care, film scanning, grading, restoration and preservation.
The facility boasts the Hydra film cleaner, ARRI XT film scanner with wetgate, two full Davinci Resolve 4K grading suites with grade one HDR monitors and restoration software Phoenix, PFClean, DRS Nova as well as two Diamant film restoration systems. It currently employs 10 staff.
The John Gore Organisation companies include Broadway Across America, Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, and Group Sales Box Office presenting hits like Wicked, Hamilton and Disney’s The Lion King in a circuit of 50 controlled theatres across North America. The group has revenues in excess of $1.2 billion and is solely owned and managed by John Gore. In 2023 he became the owner of the iconic Hammer Films whose current release stars Suzy/Eddie Izzard as Doctor Jekyll and which is streaming in the US.
Bonnici, who will continue to run Silver Salt Restoration as managing director post-acquisition, said the deal will “open a new chapter and comes at the right time for the company as it aligns with their strategic plan for investment in growth; focusing on increasing capacity and quality to meet rising demand.”
The company’s clients include Apple Corps, Arrow, BBC Motion Gallery, The BFI, Blue Underground, BritBox, Criterion, Powerhouse, Second Sight, Shout Factory, StudioCanal and 88 Films.
Silver Salt has also restored titles including When Harry Met Sally, True Romance, The Wicker Man, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Conan the Barbarian, Dr Who and the Daleks, Kind Hearts and Coronets, Prince of Darkness and They Live.
Bonnici said: “We’ve been very proud of our work and our reputation across the industry and especially with the film fans themselves. We had big dreams for Silver Salt Restoration and in lots of ways many of these have already been realised.
“However, we all agreed that we had probably taken the company as far as we possibly could as a small firm, and if we were to reach the full extent of our ambitions, we’d need to be part of something bigger.
“As a film fan, John Gore was already aware of us from our work on previous titles. So, when he was looking for a restoration partner, he immediately thought of us.
“What has made this such a perfect fit is the realisation that working in such high resolution these films may never be restored again therefore quality and film conservation play a big part in what drives us.
“What we liked about John was that we shared the same values for excellence and respect for the audience.”
John Gore, CEO of John Gore Media Limited, commented on the acquisition: “We are thrilled to welcome Silver Salt Restoration into the John Gore family. Their unparalleled expertise in film restoration and their deep commitment to preserving cinematic history align perfectly with our vision.
“The work done on some of the most iconic films of all time is exceptional, and we are excited to support their growth and continue delivering the highest quality restorations to global audiences. This acquisition marks a significant step in expanding our media portfolio and furthering our dedication to excellence in entertainment.”
During their time at Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, Bearman and Bonnici won wide acclaim for their work on the Hitchcock Nine (the first full-length films by director Alfred Hitchcock) for the BFI; they were entrusted with restoring the Dutch Oscar winners and Oscar-nominated movies for the Netherlands Institute for Sound & Vision Treasures project; and they were behind the restoration of the cult sci-fi classics The Man Who Fell To Earth for StudioCanal and Donnie Darko for Arrow, plus the Beatles’ No1s project and the Shea Stadium concert film for Apple Corps.
Meanwhile, Badger and King had gained extensive scanning, grading and restoration experience at MX1 working on much of ITV’s dramas including Agatha Christie’s Poirot, Sharpe, Prime Suspect and Thunderbirds for Japan. They also worked on Hitchcock’s Jamaica Inn for the Cohen Film Collection, and dozens of features from the Film4 catalogue including Trainspotting, The Crying Game (in association with the BFI) and Brassed Off.
The four came together when MX1 decided to take a different direction and Deluxe decided to close their UK restoration operations.
Jon Creamer
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