AMIA Newsbriefs

JFK Presidential Library Launches New Site That Invites the World on Board Apollo 11 -- 40 Years Later

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum today announced an interactive new website to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing and President Kennedy’s grand vision that made that achievement possible.

Read the story here:  http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090615005464&newsLang=en

Global ImageWorks to make footage database searchable through Footage.net

Global ImageWorks, a boutique full-service stock footage company, has signed a deal with Footage.net, the stock footage search engine, to make its entire database avialble on the Footage.net search platform.

Read the story here:  http://www.abouttheimage.com/4121/global_imageworks_to_make_footage_database_searchable_through_footagenet/author2/

2009 AVANT-GARDE MASTERS GRANTS ANNOUNCED BY THE NFPF AND THE FILM FOUNDATION

2009 AVANT-GARDE MASTERS GRANTS
ANNOUNCED BY THE NFPF AND THE FILM FOUNDATION

 

Mark Rappaport’s Local Color Among Six Films
Receiving Preservation Funds

 

San Francisco, CA (April 23, 2009)—Mark Rappaport’s Local Color
(1977), a deadpan melodrama about hopelessly interconnected lives, and
five other landmark experimental films will soon be saved thanks to
Avant-Garde Masters Grants from the National Film Preservation
Foundation and The Film Foundation. Recipients of the $50,000 award
are George Eastman House, Anthology Film Archives, Center for Visual
Music, and the Harry Ransom Center of the University of Texas at
Austin.

 

Heralded by film critic Roger Ebert as a “strange and wonderful
movie,” Local Color spins a mordant tale about eight individuals
trapped in a web of intertangled relationships and dreams. As
complications beget complications, the line between “real” and
“surreal” grows increasingly hard to draw. George Eastman House will
collaborate with the filmmaker to preserve the 16mm feature from the
original source materials..

 

Also selected for preservation are three surrealist shorts by San
Francisco artist Sidney Peterson (Anthology Film Archives); Norman
Mailer’s first film, an untitled profile of a desperate woman
considering an illegal abortion (University of Texas at Austin); and
an early multi-projector piece by experimental animator Oskar
Fischinger (Center for Visual Music).

 

The Avant-Garde Masters Grants are the first awards targeting the
preservation of American experimental film. Funded by The Film
Foundation and managed by the National Film Preservation Foundation,
the program encourages archives to work directly with filmmakers to
save works significant to the development of the avant-garde in
America. Since 2003, the annual grants have preserved films by Kenneth
Anger, Samuel Beckett, Rudy Burckhardt, Abigail Child, Tom Chomont,
Bruce Conner, Hollis Frampton, Ernie Gehr, Larry Gottheim, George and
Mike Kuchar, Gregory Markopoulos, Jonas Mekas, Tom Palazzolo, Larry
Rivers, Carolee Schneemann, Frank Stauffacher, Andy Warhol, and
Lawrence Weiner. The full roster of projects is posted on the NFPF Web
site, www.filmpreservation.org.

 

RTI FILM GROUP ACQUIRES FILM SCANNING AND RECORDING EQUIPMENT BUSINESS FROM IMAGICA TECHNOLOGIES CORP. JAPAN

RTI, a world-renowned maker of specialist motion picture film equipment, will immediately take over the manufacture, supply and support of the Imager film scanners and recorders, and is resourced to provide seamless and efficient customer support, with the help of  ITC Japan’s existing team.

Read more here:  http://www.rtico.com/

VIRTUAL JFK Comes to Los Angeles

An important and well-received documentary called Virtual JFK will be  showing at the Laemmle's Music Hall 3 March 20-26. We believe this  film may be of great interest to members of the Association of Moving  Image Archivists.

Combining rare footage from numerous Kennedy press conferences, in- depth interviews and a close reading of the documentary record, the  film argues that critical decisions about the use of restraint and  coercive diplomacy often require greater acts of courage than the use  of force. Produced by fellows of the Watson Institute for  International Studies, the film applies what Harvard historian Niall  Ferguson calls "virtual history" to consider what President John F.  Kennedy might have done in Vietnam if he had not been assassinated in  1963 and was instead re-elected in 1964. More information about the  film appears below and at www.virtualjfk.com. Please note that  Producer Peter O. Almond will provide an introduction and participate  in a Q&A session on March 20 for the 7:40 p.m. screening - please  verify this date and time with the theater in case of changes, however.

 

VIRTUAL JFK

US - 2008 - 80 mins - Color/B&W

PLAYING AT LAEMMLE'S MUSIC HALL 3

http://www.laemmle.com/viewtheatre.php?thid=4 

 

Playboy and Bondi Digital Publishing Unveil www.playboyarchive.com Searchable Web Archive

Playboy Enterprises, Inc.  and Bondi Digital Publishing LLC, yesterday went live with the public beta version of www.playboyarchive.com, a website where web viewers can instantly view a collection of digital back issues of Playboy Magazine from each of the years 1954 through 2007 without charge.

Read the story here:  http://sev.prnewswire.com/magazines/20090319/CG8631919032009-1.html

Gartenberg Media Enterprises Launches New Website

Gartenberg Media Enterprises, Inc. (GME) is proud to announce the official launch of its company website located at www.gartenbergmedia.com.

GME is actively engaged in seeking out and offering high quality DVD publications of films and
videos for sale to the institutional market within North America.  Representing the highest quality
in digital publication from some of the world’s leading film archives and boutique publishers, the
catalogue encompasses important works from the entire history of the moving image. Many titles
are state-of-the-art restorations that provide the most faithful presentations of the artists’ works
possible. The works of contemporary artists are presented in authorized editions available nowhere
else.

OSU Archives becomes among nation's first institutions to join "Flickr Commons'

In celebration of the state of Oregon’s 150th birthday, the Oregon State University Archives has become the 21st institution to join the Flickr Commons, a new online project aimed at increasing access to important publicly held photography collections around the world.

Read the Release here:  http://media-newswire.com/release_1087070.html

NFB marks its 70th anniversary with a birthday gift to all Canadians

"Montreal, January 21, 2009 – A vital part of the national fabric since 1939, the National Film Board of Canada is marking its 70th anniversary in 2009 with a gift to Canadians and Web users of all ages: a new online Screening Room providing free home viewing of over 700 productions, films, trailers and clips from the NFB's world-renowned collection."

Read the story here: http://www3.nfb.ca/press-room/communique.php?id=19240

You are invited ...

ALT Systems is pleased to announce that on Thursday, February 12th, The Pixel Farm will join us to demonstrate their advanced pre-grade cleanup and moving image restoration system, PFClean.

The presentation will include an overview of PFClean and how its advanced toolset addresses the needs of DI and high-end Film Restoration work.  Many of PFClean's standard features will be highlighted, including grain & noise management, dirt & dust removal, image stabilization and De-
Flicker.

Also shown will be a tour of the optional Film Restoration Pack -- intended for use on very damaged material with tools including De-Fog, De-Warp, Fix Frame, Fix Tear, and a very roboust suite of Color tools.

Tired of living with a dirty cow?  Join us on Thursday February 12th from 4 - 7pm and see why PFClean is the best solution for dirty problems. The demonstration will be held at the ALT Systems' office Burbank.

Reception and mixer to follow the demostration!

Register for the event today!