Originally released in 1956, Tiga Dara is a musical drama directed by Usmar Ismail that starred Chitra Dewi (Nunung), Mieke Wijaya (Nana), Indriati Iskak (Neni), Rendra Karno, Bambang Irawan, and Fifi Young. The movie won The Best Music Arrangement award at the Indonesian Film Festival (FFI) in 1960.

The story revolved around Nunung, Nana, and Neni, sisters who live together with their grandmother and busy dad after their mother passed away. At the request of their late mother, the girls’ grandmother attempts to look for a partner for Nunung, the oldest. The potential partner becomes the object of a fight between Nunung and Nana, the middle sister. The youngest, Neni, plays peacemaker and tries to resolve the conflict between her older sisters.

The film was restored to full black and white glory by SA Films in L'immagine Ritrovata, a film restoration laboratory in Bologna, Italia. The restoration process, completed in October 8, 2015, enabled technicians to transfer the original film format into three digital formats; HD, 2K and 4K.

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In its official Twitter account, SA Films stated, “The Tiga Dara restoration was carried out in order to allow the younger generations to enjoy a good quality classic Indonesian”. The Tiga Dara celluloid, according to the company, had been in very poor physical condition. “There was some vinegar syndrome on the celluloid. It was also cracked and moldy, making the restoration process challenging," the company stated.

Aside from the 4K version of the film that is to be screened in cinemas this year, the classic movie will also be released on DVD and BluRay in 2017. SA Films are currently producing Ini Kisah Tiga Dara, a contemporary remake of the film, slated to be released in September. The update is to be directed by Nia Dinata.

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(msj/asw)