Embedded Files
December 9, 2025.
December 9, 2025.
To Hell and Back Project Raises $3600 in 52 Hours in Historic Heritage Preservation Campaign.
To Hell and Back Project Raises $3600 in 52 Hours in Historic Heritage Preservation Campaign.
In an extraordinary demonstration of public support for cultural heritage preservation, the To Hell and Back Project has raised more than $3,600 in just 52 hours to fund the 4K preservation scan, reconstruction, and expert documentation of what is very likely the first known close-quarters frontline combat footage from the First World War.
The Kickstarter campaign surpassed its full funding goal in only 52 hours, marking a significant milestone not only for the project but for the international effort to recover and restore long-forgotten First World War film materials.
The preserved reel segments, filmed in June 1918 on the Montello high ground above the Piave River, depicts Austro-Hungarian soldiers under bombardment at a distance and intimacy possibly unique for First World War film. Captured only meters from the firing line, the footage shows soldiers retreating and taking cover, machine-gun fire sweeping across the slopes, grenade explosions, and men being struck and collapsing in real time
For more than a century, historians believed that authentic close-quarters combat footage from the Great War either did not exist or had not survived. The contextualization of the surviving parts of the material, after years of archival research across Europe and beyond, represents a rare and significant contribution to the visual history of the conflict.
Toward the Danish Film Institute Research Screening
Toward the Danish Film Institute Research Screening
The restored footage will be presented in early 2026 at a closed research screening at the Danish Film Institute (DFI) in Copenhagen. The session will bring together military historians, film preservation specialists, and diplomatic representatives from several countries.
The 4K preservation scan is expected to be delivered by mid-february, after which the project will begin the detailed chronological reconstruction of the surviving reel fragments.
On November 26, 2025, Storm Boysen was formally discussed at the Embassy of Hungary in Copenhagen with Ambassador Gabriella Jakab and First Secretary Dr. Gyula Mike, who expressed interest in attending the DFI event.
Still shows high-explosive shells impacting in rapid succession, churning the ground and filling the slope with smoke and debris. June, 1918.
The success of the campaign underscores a growing recognition of the importance of preserving early twentieth-century film heritage. Supporters from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, and other countries contributed to the extraordinary momentum of the fundraising effort.
Backers will receive restored stills from the footage once the laboratory scan is complete.
The Kickstarter campaign remains open throughout December, and additional funds will be used to strengthen the restoration and documentation process ahead of the 2026 screening.
The To Hell and Back Project continues its mission to recover, preserve, and contextualize forgotten First World War film materials.
Raising its full target in 52 hours demonstrates not only the historical weight of the discovery but also a powerful public desire to see these rare images brought back to life.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse