Present Past: A Celebration of Film Preservation

The Academy Museum’s second celebration of newly preserved and restored films presents work from the Academy Film Archive as well as other archives, studios, distributors, foundations, and independent filmmakers from around the globe.

Established in 1991, the Academy Film Archive is home to one of the world’s most diverse and extensive motion picture collections, boasting over 230,000 items. Dedicated to the preservation, restoration, documentation, exhibition, and study of motion pictures, the archive is ever-growing and evolving to accommodate new materials in need of safekeeping. Its dedicated team works to save films from deterioration and breathe new life into works once lost, damaged, or unprojectable.

Present Past convenes narrative features, shorts, documentaries, and experimental films from the Academy Film Archive and beyond. Each restoration will be celebrating its Los Angeles, West Coast, United States, North American, or World Premiere, with many of the filmmakers, subjects, archivists, and preservationists appearing in person to discuss their work.