Luminary director Martin Scorsese has long been a champion of film preservation and appreciation. The Oscar-winner founded and chairs The World Cinema Foundation which works to restore and promote important films in history.

Friday at Cannes he announced his ongoing commitment to broaden the audience for these restored masterpieces saying, “Restoration is meaningful only if people can see the work.” It was also announced that the WCF will team up with B-Side Entertainment and The Auteurs to release those films that Scorsese’s organization restores.

WCF plans to screen their restored work at large festivals like Cannes, and then have B-Side tour them at festivals, museums, universities and movie clubs, as well as show them on popular websites.

The films will also receive special edition DVD releases and possibly Blue-Ray in the future through The Criterion Collection.

Scorsese went on to say, “The more audiences see these films, the more they want to see other films like them, and then what happens is the audience changes which means the movies that are being made change.  There is an audience for special movies, and good movies, for a different way of looking at the world — and not just blockbusters.”