The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Mary Pickford Foundation have partnered on a multi-year initiative to promote the legacy of Mary Pickford and the silent film era, Academy CEO Dawn Hudson announced. The partnership includes an annual silent film screening, silent film preservation initiatives and the digitization of components of the Academy’s Mary Pickford Collection.
To kick off this partnership, and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study, the Academy and the Foundation will host a special “Inside the Vaults” event on Tuesday, September 11, at the Pickford Center in Hollywood. The evening includes behind-the-scenes tours of the vaults, a screening of a rare Mary Pickford short “The New York Hat” (1912), the Los Angeles premiere of the Academy Film Archive’s newly restored print of “The Mark of Zorro” (1920), starring Douglas Fairbanks, and a display of select items from the Academy’s Mary Pickford Collection. Tours begin at 6 p.m. and the screening program begins at 8 p.m.
“We are thrilled that together with the Mary Pickford Foundation, we will bring the groundbreaking work of Mary Pickford and the pioneers of the silent film era to the attention of a new generation,” said Hudson. “She was a founding member of the Academy as well as a film visionary, hands-on philanthropist, business leader and educator.”
“This partnership between the Academy and Mary’s foundation is her legacy coming full circle,” said Henry Stotsenberg, chairman and CEO of the Mary Pickford Foundation. “We are particularly pleased to be collaborating on the annual Mary Pickford Celebration of Silent Films. We are also looking forward to working with the Academy to share Mary’s commitment to her craft and her community, and to enhancing the Academy’s educational programs and vast permanent collection.”
The Mary Pickford Foundation will work in partnership with the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library to augment its existing collection of Pickford papers, photographs and ephemera with newly found items from the silent film star’s personal collection. In addition, the Library will digitize a selection of historically significant items in the Mary Pickford Collection. Under this initiative, the Academy Film Archive will preserve silent films and furnish prints to be shown at the annual silent film screening.
The “Inside the Vaults” tours, to be conducted by the Academy’s preservation, research and technical staff, will showcase the Academy’s collections as well as the preservation and research work of its Film Archive, Margaret Herrick Library, and Science and Technology Council.
Visitors will get a firsthand look at climate-controlled storage vaults for rare film materials, library holdings and motion picture artifacts; film preservation and restoration facilities; exhibition prep and object conservation areas; and studio and laboratory facilities for advancing motion picture technology.
Tickets to “Inside the Vaults” are sold out. A standby line will form on the day of the event, and standby numbers will be assigned starting at approximately 5:30 p.m. Any available tickets will be distributed shortly before the program begins. Ticket holders should plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the event to ensure a seat in the theater. Doors open at 6 p.m. Ticketed seating is unreserved.
The Academy’s Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.
