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National Archives Features Early 20th-Century Cinema on April 10th
Press Release · Wednesday, March 12, 2008

A Century Ago: The Films of 1907

Washington, DC…On Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 7 p.m., the National Archives presents “A Century Ago: The Films of 1907” showcasing a selection of rare turn-of-the-20th-century international films, including trick films, “actualities” (films showing real things or events), primitive dramas, and gag films, all produced during this year of creative expansion and transition. “A Century Ago” will feature live musical accompaniment by award-winning musician and composer Michael Mortilla. The program is presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in partnership with The Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film and the Foundation for the National Archives

Compiled and hosted by Randy Haberkamp, Director of Educational and Special Projects for the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the program will be highlighted by the pixilation (stop-action animation) sensation The Haunted Hotel, by J. Stuart Blackton of Vitagraph; the first film version of Ben-Hur, from the Kalem Company, which led to a precedent-setting copyright infringement case; a hand-tinted version of Les Kiriki, Acrobates Japonais, from Pathé Studios in France; and such crowd pleasers as The Teddy Bears, from Edison Studios, and The Dancing Pig, from Pathé. Most prints are in 35mm and are drawn from the collections of the Academy Film Archive, the Library of Congress, and the UCLA Film & Television Archive. (120 minutes)

The program is free and open to the public, and will be held in the William G.McGowan Theater of the National Archives Building, located at Constitution and 7th Street, NW. Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial station.

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To verify the date and times of the programs, the public should call the Public Programs Line at: (202) 357-5000, or view the Calendar of Events online.

For Press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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