Academy to Unspool Films of 1908 in Hollywood and Bay Area

Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will celebrate the motion picture highlights and advances of 1908 with the presentation of “A Century Ago: The Films of 1908,” on Monday, December 1, at 7:30 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. The program will repeat on Thursday, December 4, at 7 p.m. at the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael, California.

“A Century Ago” will sample the year’s entertainment and artistic achievements with screenings of such films as Edison’s “Rescued from an Eagle’s Nest,” featuring a performance by D.W. Griffith; Biograph’s “After Many Years,” in which new director Griffith experiments with parallel cutting and camera movement; Vitagraph’s trick film “The Thieving Hand”; Gaumont’s sensational “Fantasmagorie,” animated by Émile Cohl; Essanay’s “A Disastrous Flirtation”; Pathé’s comedic “Troubles of a Grass Widower,” starring Max Linder; and one of the earliest Italian productions “Le Farfalle” (“Butterflies”), presented from a hand-tinted print.

The presentations at both venues will feature live musical accompaniment by Michael Mortilla.

Most films will be screened from 35mm prints drawn from the collections of the Academy Film Archive, the Library of Congress, and the UCLA Film & Television Archive, among others.

Tickets to “A Century Ago” in Hollywood are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase online at www.oscars.org, by mail, or at the Academy box office during regular business hours. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved.

The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue (one block north of Fountain Avenue). For additional information, visit www.oscars.org/events or call (310) 247-3600.

Tickets for “A Century Ago” in the San Francisco Bay Area are $10 for the general public and free for Academy members. Tickets may be purchased through the Smith Rafael Film Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved.

The Smith San Rafael Film Center is located at 1118 Fourth Street in San Rafael. For more information, call the Academy at (310) 247-2688, Smith Rafael Film Center at (415) 454-1222, or visit www.cafilm.org.

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About the Academy

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.