Northeast Historic Film facts for kids
Northeast Historic Film (NHF) is a special place in Bucksport, Maine, that collects, saves, and shares old films and videos. It's like a treasure chest for moving pictures from Northern New England. NHF is a nonprofit organization, which means it works for the public good, not for profit.
NHF helps keep films and videos safe by fixing them, making copies, and storing them in a special climate-controlled building. In 2013, NHF won a big award called the Silver Light Award for its important work.
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What NHF Collects
NHF collects all kinds of moving pictures from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts. This includes home movies, old silent movies, films made by businesses, and independent projects. They also have many videos from local TV stations, going all the way back to the 1950s!
In total, NHF has over 10 million feet of film and 8,000 videotapes. These go from 1896 up to today. Besides films and videos, NHF also collects old movie equipment. This includes projectors, cameras, and tools for editing film. They also have cool movie posters, scrapbooks, and letters about films.
Learning and Events
NHF offers fun programs for everyone. They have movie screenings, online exhibits, and special events at art museums and fairs.
For people who work with films, NHF offers internships and workshops. They also have an annual summer meeting. The William O'Farrell Fellowship helps people study the collections at NHF. It offers $1500 to support research that will be published or shown to others. You can find out more about it online [1].
NHF has shown many interesting films at the Portland Museum of Art in Portland, Maine. Some past screenings include:
- Exceptional Amateur Film (2001) – with live music!
- Maine TV History Highlights (2002) – introduced by a TV news anchor.
- Our Now is Your Then (2002) – silent films with live music.
- You Work, We'll Watch (2003) – films about earning a living.
- Summer Camps (2004) – with live music.
- Invisible (2005) – presented by the Penobscot Nation's Tribal Historian.
- NHF's 20th Anniversary (2006) – with a special film called My Father's Camera.
The Alamo Theatre
In 1992, NHF bought the Alamo Theatre in downtown Bucksport. This old movie theater was built in 1916. NHF worked hard to fix it up and bring movies back to the community.
The Alamo Theatre now shows new movies every weekend. It also hosts special events, like showing old films in their original format. Before each movie, they show a short clip from their amazing film collection.
NHF's History
Karan Sheldon and David Weiss started Northeast Historic Film in 1986. Two years later, NHF helped restore an old film from 1921 called “The Seventh Day.”
In 1990, NHF began a project called “Going to the Movies: A Social History of Motion Pictures in Maine Communities.” This project became an exhibition with talks and film showings. It was displayed in malls in 1996.
In 2003, NHF opened a huge, special building called the Conservation Center.
Membership and Loans
NHF started offering memberships to the public in 1989. In 1991, they began a free video loan program for members. It started with just 31 videos and now has over 400!
The Conservation Center
In 2002, NHF began building its special Conservation Center, which cost $1.8 million. This building, nicknamed “The Cube,” was finished in 2003. It's located behind the Alamo Theatre.
The Cube is a 27,000 square foot building designed to keep films and videos safe. It has three floors with carefully controlled temperature and humidity. Two floors are kept cool at 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7 degrees Celsius) and 25% humidity. The third floor is even colder, at 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celsius) and 30% humidity. This super-cold room helps stop old films from getting "Vinegar Syndrome," which is a type of decay.
The Cube is the only place like it in the region for storing films and videos safely. It also has special air filters, a fire safety system that's good for the environment, and flood protection. Many people and organizations from all over North America send their films and videos to The Cube for safe-keeping.
Awards and Recognition
In 2003, NHF's founders, Karan Sheldon and David Weiss, received an award for their great work in the humanities.
Two films from NHF's collections have been chosen for the National Film Registry by the Librarian of Congress. This is a very important honor!
- The Making of an American (1920) – added in 2005.
- From Stump to Ship (1930) – added in 2002.
A book called Amateur Movie Making: Aesthetics of the Everyday in New England Films, 1915-1960 won the "Best Edited Collection" award in 2018. This book includes essays about films from NHF's collections.
- You can read the Silver Light Award speech from November 7, 2013, by Andrea McCarty here: [2]