Experience curated film screenings from the Library's 16mm film collection and participate in guided discussions about film, history and archives. Learn more about the unique materials held by the Library's Special Collections Division. For more information, please contact the branch at 305-442-8706 or capleybr@mdpls.org. All ages.
LINE UP OF FILMS:
COLOR CRY
Inspired by Man Ray’s shadowcast experiments, this film exhibits Lye’s masterful sense of abstract movement with complex shapes and textures. The soundtrack is Sonny Terry’s “Fox Chase”. Len Lye, 1952.
GEFILTE FISH
This lighthearted look at three generations of gefilte fish makers reflects both the desire for tradition and the need for convenience. A grandmother, mother, and granddaughter show how they are different, yet similar. Silverstein, 1984.
TIME OF THE ANGELS
Noted animator Faith Hubley brings to life three Latin American poems each spoken in both Spanish and English and visually interpreted in colorfully symbolic animation. The poems are Time of the Angels by Nezahualcotl, Emperor of Texcoco, 1402-1472; Horses of the Conquerors by Jose Santos Chocano; and The Guardian Angel by Gabriela Mistral. Hubley Studios, 1986
METROPOLIS IN THE SUN
This film discusses some of the rapid developmental changes in Miami. Architecture is changing the city's urban landscape. Classicism and modernism are competing to dominate the architectural environment. Dean Thomas Regan (of the University of Miami), Andres Duany, Elizabeth Plater-Sybeck and Bernando Fort-Brescia discuss examples of the new styles for South Florida.
FLOATING FREE
Championship frisbee throwers perform feats of skill are fast-paced and accurate. Slow motion shows the grace and agility of humans and dogs who enjoy this sport. Transworld International, 1978.
About the Division of Special Collections & Archives
Miami-Dade Public Library System’s Division of Special Collections & Archives holds rare and irreplaceable historical documents for the benefit of the public and scholarly community. They oversee the Helen Muir Florida Collection, 16mm Film Collection, Cuban Collection of Rare Books & Ephemera, Genealogy Collection, Vasari Project, and rare & antiquarian books from as early as the 17th century. The Division's primary goal is to provide the public with the contents of the vault at their request. Its collections include rare books, original manuscripts, over 18,000 photographs, prints, artifacts, audiovisual resources, and electronic media.
About the Film Collection
The 16mm film collection has been part of the Library's holdings for over 55 years. Its first films were part of the City of Miami’s public library and began in the 1960s before there was a county library. When MDPLS was formed, the County supplemented its local funding for films with Federal LSCA grants (Library Services and Construction Act). Apart from leased feature films, all films were purchased for free exhibition for the life of the print. Subjects within the collection include experimental/avant-garde art films, non-narrated films, children’s films, Black history, Floridiana, and local history. Today, there are over 4,000 films within the collection.
AGE GROUP: | All Ages |
EVENT TYPE: | STEAM | Special Collections | Performances & Presentations | Movies | In-Person | History |