(2021, DCP, 119m, Spain & Canada) dir Inés Toharia Terán. “Did you know that approximately 80% of all the silent movies ever made are completely lost? Whether they rotted away, went up in flames, were melted down for silver, or were dumped in the ocean, so many movies created at the very dawn of the medium are likely gone forever. Those that we do have the pleasure and privilege of being able to watch today — some more than 125 years old! — only exist thanks to the efforts of individuals who have dedicated their lives to preserving our cinematic past. Inés Toharia Terán’s new documentary Film: the Living Record of Our Memory shines a spotlight on these individuals and serves as a rallying cry for the importance of film archiving and preservation in our modern, digital world.” -Lee Jutton, Film Inquiry

Film archivists, curators, technicians and filmmakers from around the globe explain what film preservation is and why it is needed. Their work behind the scenes safeguards the survival of motion pictures. It is a task they undertake based on their closely held belief in the artistic and cultural value of the moving image, in tune with a shared mantra that a film might one day transform someone’s life… if not the world. This documentary sheds light on their critical labor.

This event is generously sponsored by UMN’s IAS Imagine Fund, Archives on Screen, and The Twin Cities Silent Film Project.

Read more about the documentary.
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Archives on Screen presents: Il Cinema Ritrovato on Tour at the MSP Film Society, May 11-13, 2023.

About Archives on Screen, Twin Cities:

Co-organized by Michelle Baroody and Maggie Hennefeld, Archives on Screen is dedicated to bringing rare, unseen archival films from around the globe to movie screens in the Twin Cities. Animated by a love of cinema and a commitment to making visible excluded images from the past, we work with international film archives and local film venues to expose students and audiences to the richness of film history. We program events that foster open dialogue and community engagement between university students and local film audiences across the Twin Cities. Our programming draws on local, national, and international film archives, and it spans the early history of silent cinema, studio feature films, experimental counter-cinemas, third cinema, amateur and non-theatrical films, short films, unfinished films, and contemporary independent filmmaking.

Ticket info:

There is no charge for admission to this screening. Half of the available seats are offered for advance reservation online, and the remaining half will be available at the door on a first come basis, starting at 6:30pm on June 8th.