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Only a small number of people alive today have ever had the unique experience of attending a public silent movie screening with live musical accompaniment - the way cinema was born. Retroformat’s mission is to create enthusiasm about the endangered art of silent film, which flowered for thirty years and became the foundation of today’s filmmaking. Most of us take the language of film for granted, not realizing that the earliest filmmakers had to carve that language from nothing.
We do in-person theatrical screenings with live music, educational programming for public and private schools and online outreach, because if we lose this part of our history, we will lose our understanding of how the most important art form of our time evolved, and how people a century ago viewed the social issues that are shaping our lives today. We will also miss out on the chance to experience some amazing art. |
In just three decades, the silent film era produced a gigantic cultural breakthrough comparable to centuries of development in traditional art: the creation and growth of filmic narrative as a new, unique visual language. It would be an incalculable loss if everything from the cave paintings of Lascaux, France through the works of the Italian Renaissance, when painters created the first masterworks using linear perspective, were to disappear, and yet that is threatened with our legacy from the silent film era. It is imperative that the remaining silent films are appreciated and enjoyed, or there will be no impetus for their ongoing preservation, or continuing discovery of what more may be saved.
Retroformat Silent Films is an educational 501c3 nonprofit, located in Los Angeles, California. We were founded as a corporation on April 11, 2018 and achieved nonprofit status on April 11, 2019.
Our Mission is to promote education and enthusiasm about the art of silent film. Our Vision is a future where the silent film era is widely enjoyed and fully appreciated as a cornerstone of modern film and visual art.
Our Mission is to promote education and enthusiasm about the art of silent film. Our Vision is a future where the silent film era is widely enjoyed and fully appreciated as a cornerstone of modern film and visual art.
We have many exciting, special projects planned. Check back often!
Our programs include special guests (like actor Paul Dooley, shown above in a special tribute to his idol, Buster Keaton) and focus on social issues, diversity and trailblazing female filmmakers. Please help us continue by making a tax deductible contribution now!