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What is a film festival doing as an affiliate of FIAF? The question undoubtedly crossed your mind last November when the FIAF Executive Committee announced that the San Francisco Silent Film Festival (SFSFF) had been accepted as an associate member. Last summer in Bologna, I addressed this subject from the dais, delighted to attend a FIAF Congress as a member for the first time. Now, through the paragraphs that follow, I take advantage of this opportunity to introduce our organization to the entire membership.
So why did the SFSFF wish to join FIAF, and what was the justification for our application? The answer can be found in the founding charter of our non-profit organization, the purpose and mission of which is summarized as:
* to entertain and educate the general public with organized exhibitions of lesser-known silent films and musical accompaniment,
* to organize and sponsor lectures and demonstrations on the historical, technical, and social aspects of silent film,
* to offer displays of relevant historical objects such as film production equipment, costumes, photographs, etc.,
* to assist and provide for the restoration and preservation of silent film.
At the organization's genesis in 1993, the primary focus of the SFSFF was to create an audience and appreciation for silent-era cinema. When we first began, the opportunities to see silent films in a theatrical venue were extremely limited. The vision of founders Melissa Chittick and Stephen Salmons was to fill that void by screening curated selections of archival 35mm prints, projected at the correct speed, respectfully accompanied with live musical accompaniment, and presented in San Francisco's grand movie palace, the 1,300 seat Castro Theatre.
Over the years, what originated as a simple, one-day local event has evolved into a four-day festival with an international reputation and our activities have expanded to include special screenings, lectures, student fellowships, and film preservation and restoration efforts. In sum, we aim to span the full breadth of the motion-picture-heritage lifecycle, from exhibition, education, research and scholarship, to film restoration and preservation.
Our goal is to not only foster a world-class showcase for silent cinema, but to also to lay a foundation and develop new audiences for ear- ly cinema, and, through our restoration efforts, to contribute to the preservation of...