Swedish cinema legend Ingmar Bergman might have snubbed both Cannes and Oscar galas, but on Monday he personally showed up to receive the FIAF's Film Preservation Award at Filmhuset in Stockholm.

"I'm deeply honoured and very happy," Bergman said, "by receiving this award I feel like I really belong in this passionate union."

The prize, which is given not for his films but his dedication to the restoration of colour films, was handed out by FIAF president Ivan Trujillo at the closing ceremony for 65 year-old federation's annual convention hosted by the Swedish Film Institute and the Finnish Film Archive.

Since 1997 the Swedish Film Institute has been active in a special initiative to save and preserve Swedish films. This has been made possible by government funding provided in Ingmar Bergman's name.

More than 70 Swedish feature films have been saved, including Jan Troell's The Emigrants, Ingmar Bergman's Magic Flute, Bo Widerberg's Elvira Madigan and Roy Andersson's Giliap.

Bergman joins previous recipients Martin Scorsese and Manoel de Oliveira. FIAF is an international film archive federation with 130 member institutes in more than 70 countries.