The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) released a colorized 4K scan in 2021 of black-and-white footage showing Benjamin, the last captive thylacine, at Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart. The color is a researched reconstruction—not color captured by the camera—and this 1933 film is separate from the NFSA’s 21-second 1935 clip described as the last-known surviving moving images.
What the 1933 thylacine footage shows
Naturalist David Fleay filmed the sequence at Beaumaris Zoo in December 1933. The NFSA identifies the animal as Benjamin, the last captive thylacine. The silent clip runs just under 80 seconds and is the longest single film among 10 separate thylacine films known to the archive, according to the NFSA’s 2021 account. NFSA: “Tasmanian tiger: colourised footage of the last thylacine”.
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The footage is archival, but its original image was black and white. The “4K” description refers to the high-resolution digitisation of the original negative, not to color footage shot in 1933. The NFSA’s collection record describes the resulting colour version here: NFSA: “Tasmanian tiger in colour”.
How the black-and-white film was colorized
The NFSA scanned the original negative and supplied Ultra High Definition ProRes files to the colourisation team. Composite Films, led by art director Samuel François-Steininger, carried out the colour work in 2021 using digital restoration and compositing techniques. The NFSA reported that the effort took more than 200 hours; that figure is the archive’s account of the production, not an independently audited measurement.
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Because there was no original color photograph or film to consult, the team drew on preserved skins, written descriptions, sketches, paintings, scientific drawings and recent 3D color renderings. Those references inform the reconstruction, but they cannot establish every precise hue Benjamin had in life. ABC News quoted NFSA curator Vick Gwyn describing colorization as involving subjectivity and personal creativity as well as historical research. ABC News: “Footage of last-known surviving Tasmanian tiger remastered and released in 4K colour”.
How the 1933 film differs from the 1935 “last footage”
The colorized sequence is not the same archive item as the footage often called the last-known moving images of a thylacine. The NFSA’s 1935 collection record identifies a separate 21-second segment from the travelogue Tasmania the Wonderland, catalogue item AER3DMVM, as the last-known surviving moving images. The 1933 Fleay footage was filmed earlier and is the sequence selected for colorization.
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| Archive item | Filming or source | Duration | Color status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 David Fleay footage | Filmed at Beaumaris Zoo, Hobart, in December 1933; identified by NFSA as Benjamin | Just under 80 seconds, according to the NFSA’s 2021 article | Original black-and-white negative; later colorized from a high-resolution scan |
| 1935 Tasmania the Wonderland segment | Travelogue clip; NFSA catalogue item AER3DMVM | 21 seconds, according to the NFSA collection record | Not the 1933 colorized sequence; the cited record identifies it as the last-known surviving moving images |
See the archive entry for the separate 1935 item: NFSA: “Tasmanian Tiger: Last Footage of a Thylacine”.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the color can—and cannot—tell you
The colorized version can help viewers read the animal’s form and markings in a way that may feel more immediate than monochrome film. Its color palette, however, is an evidence-based interpretation rather than a direct record of the animal’s appearance. Treat the image as a historically informed reconstruction, not proof of exact fur color.
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