The response to our library virtual movie event last week, Restoration, Preservation, and Distribution of Movies During a Pandemic with special guest Eddie Muller, was tremendous! I’m still compiling information, but we had 107 people joining us from Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, California, North Carolina, Michigan, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Canada. I’m sure I’ll find more states (and maybe even countries) as I continue to go through the list of attendees.
All this to say thank you to those who attended, a huge thank you to my colleague, friend, and partner-in-crime, Darnice, and, of course, a huge thank you to Eddie Muller, who spoke to us for nearly two hours!
Many of you have asked if the program was recorded. Yes, it was! We’re working on making that recording available to those who missed it (or want to revisit it), so stay tuned.
In the meantime, I’d like to share some other movie events we have planned for the coming months. And remember, these are all virtual events. You can attend regardless of where you live. All events are on Zoom, all starting at 7pm ET.
Here’s how our movie discussions work: Anne Arundel County Maryland residents can access all of our movies beforehand at their convenience through Kanopy. (Sorry, if you live outside of Anne Arundel County, I cannot hook you up with Kanopy.) However, you don’t have to watch these films on Kanopy. You may already own them or can find them on other platforms. We assume that if you join us for the discussions, you’ve already seen the films from beginning to end, so spoilers will abound! All movie discussions (unless otherwise noted) will be in the Zoom meeting format, which means everyone can see everyone else and comment. It should go without saying, but we expect everyone to be respectful of all opinions and act with civility. (But we do have a moderator, so behave yourself!)
All AACPL Movie events (like the Eddie Muller program) are in the Zoom webinar format, unless otherwise noted. Only the presenters are visible, and participants can submit questions through chat.
So here’s what we have lined up for the next few months:
Friday, October 2
(Zoom meeting)
Friday, October 9
Event: The Future of Movie Theaters with special guest Todd Hitchcock, Director of Programming at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. Movie theaters have already begun to open in several areas across the country, but is this a good idea? Even if it is, what does the future hold for movie theaters and movie-going as the pandemic continues? Join us for this informative and important event. (Zoom webinar)
Friday, November 6
(Zoom meeting)
Friday, November 20
Can't get enough of books about movies? Neither can we! That's why we've invited Raquel Stecher to join us for a discussion of the best movie books of 2020. Raquel certainly knows both movies and books, which is clearly evident when you peruse her blog Out of the Past: A Classic Film Blog. Not only does Raquel write about classic films and books, she also hosts an annual Summer Reading Challenge, in which readers of her blog (including me) can read and review classic film books. Get ready to write down lots of great book titles on November 20! (Zoom meeting)
Friday, December 4
(Zoom meeting)
Friday, December 18
(Zoom meeting)
Friday, January 8, 2021
(Zoom meeting)
Friday, January 15
Event: Michael Curtiz’s The Proud Rebel (1958) with special guest Alan K. Rode, author of Michael Curtiz: A Life
(Zoom webinar)
Friday, February 5
(Zoom meeting)
Friday, February 19
(Zoom meeting)
We have much more planned, and some of these movie discussions may also include special guests. If you’d like to join our email list to keep up with the latest news, leave a comment below or a direct message on Twitter @awolverton77. Stay tuned!