AMIA and Alamo Drafthouse Team Up To Offer 35mm Projection Workshop

AMIA and Alamo Drafthouse Team Up To Offer 35mm Projection Workshop

Three-day Event Provides Film Projection Training and Insight from Industry Experts in Partnership with The Film Foundation

Additional Partners Include Kodak and Boston Light & Sound

LOS ANGELES (July 7, 2016) — The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) and Alamo Drafthouse, in partnership with The Film Foundation, will host a three-day film projection workshop offering expert-led training for managers, curators and projectionists in the proper presenting of 35mm film in theaters. The hands-on, educational event will be held August 22-24 in Austin, Texas, at the Alamo South Lamar location. Additional partners supporting the symposium include Kodak and Boston Light & Sound.

As digital technology has presented new opportunities to filmmakers and exhibitors, it has also negatively impacted the availability of prints for theaters showing 35mm film. Many of those prints come from archives and similar institutions that cannot replace these valuable assets should they become damaged. At the same time, this lack of access to 35mm film prints and the predominance of digital projection has reduced the number of projectionists who have experience in handling film. This makes training in the proper handling and projection of film prints critical, and the need for this workshop essential.

“While digital has become the primary exhibition format, many theaters continue to show 35mm film prints,” said AMIA President Andrea Kalas. “We want to provide working professionals and projectionists who want to continue their education with the special skills to work with rare and archival prints to ensure that audiences will continue to enjoy many films in their original 35mm format. Bringing AMIA together with the Alamo Drafthouse and The Film Foundation, as well as Kodak and Boston Light & Sound, helps to foster an appreciation for this revered cinema experience.”

The workshop will offer a hands-on tutorial for projectionists and theater staff working with 35mm film prints and will focus on film preparation and projection as well as special stipulations for archival projection, coordinating with lending institutions, and paperwork. Instructors will include specialists in archival projection, as well as training from Boston Light & Sound and Kodak.

“I love digital projection for new release films, but only a tiny sliver of our vast film history will ever make it to the DCP format,” said Alamo Drafthouse CEO Tim League. “As an industry, we must continue to preserve, protect and carefully screen 35mm films and maintain our 35mm projection equipment.  The day we stop is the day cinema as we know it is dead.”

Participants will receive industry-wide recognition for completion of the workshop, indicated by a certificate from AMIA. Last year’s one-day event was sold out and met with positive reviews. This year, AMIA has expanded the program to include additional courses and hands-on training.

“Preservation and restoration is vital; equally important is sharing these films with an audience,” said Margaret Bodde, The Film Foundation’s Executive Director. “With this workshop, AMIA and Alamo Drafthouse are helping to ensure that archival and studio prints are properly handled and projected, allowing new generations the unique experience of seeing 35mm film projected onto the big screen.”

 “AMIA and Alamo are great stewards of film,” said Steve Bellamy, President of Kodak’s Motion Picture Film division. “Kodak is all in on film and it is critical to support the projectionist and theater community in every way we can. Workshops and events are a fantastic way to ensure that we are developing these skills in communities across the world.”

The fee for workshop participants is $250, and attendance is limited. For more information, and to register, visit http://www.projectionworkshop.com/.

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ABOUT AMIA

As the world’s largest international association of professional media archivists, the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) is uniquely poised to bring together a broad range of experts. Members represent film studios, corporate and national archives, historical societies, labs, post production, universities, footage libraries and more. Because of this diverse membership, AMIA provides an opportunity to interact with every facet of the field and a single forum to address the best ways to preserve and provide access to our media heritage in digital and analog formats. For further information, visit www.AMIAnet.org and follow AMIA onFacebook, Twitter (@AMIAnet) and Instagram (@AMIArchivists).

ABOUT ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE

Tim and Karrie League founded Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in 1997 as a single-screen mom and pop repertory theater in Austin. 17 years later, the now 20-location chain has been named “the best theater in America” byEntertainment Weekly and “the best theater in the world” by Wired.com. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has built a reputation as a movie lover’s oasis not only by combining food and drink service with the movie-going experience, but also introducing unique programming and high profile, star studded special events. Alamo Drafthouse Founder & CEO, Tim League, created Fantastic Fest, a world renowned film festival dubbed “The Geek Telluride” by Variety. Fantastic Fest showcases eight days of genre cinema from independents, international filmmakers and major Hollywood studios. The Alamo Drafthouse’s collectible art gallery, Mondo, offers breathtaking, original products featuring designs from world-famous artists based on licenses for popular TV and Movie properties including Star Wars, Star Trek & Universal Monsters. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is expanding its brand in new and exciting ways, including Drafthouse Films, which has garnered two Academy Award nominations in its short three-year existence and Badass Digest, an entertainment news blog curated by veteran journalist Devin Faraci.  More information about the Alamo Drafthouse is available on the official website at www.drafthouse.com.

ABOUT THE FILM FOUNDATION
The Film Foundation is a nonprofit organization established by Martin Scorsese in 1990 dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. By working in partnership with archives and studios, the foundation has helped to restore nearly 700 films, which are made accessible to the public through programming at festivals, museums, and educational institutions around the world. The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project has restored 28 films from 20 different countries representing the rich diversity of world cinema. The foundation’s free educational curriculum, The Story of Movies, teaches young people – over 10 million to date – about film language and history. For more information, visit: www.film-foundation.org.

ABOUT KODAK
Kodak is a technology company focused on imaging. We provide – directly and through partnerships with other innovative companies – hardware, software, consumables and services to customers in graphic arts, commercial print, publishing, packaging, electronic displays, entertainment and commercial films, and consumer products markets. With our world-class R&D capabilities, innovative solutions portfolio and highly trusted brand, Kodak is helping customers around the globe to# sustainably grow their own businesses and enjoy their lives. For additional information on Kodak, visit us at kodak.com, follow us on Twitter @Kodak, or like us on Facebook at KodakNow.