AV Club

Experience curated screenings from the Library's 16mm film collection and participate in guided discussions about film, history, and archives. Join Special Collections librarian and archivist Katharine Labuda for a selection of sci-fi-themed films! For more information, please contact the branch at 305-375-5572 or specialcollections@mdpls.org. All ages.

About the Films:

• THE CREATION, 1981; 9 MIN. 

From noted Claymation animator Will Vinton. 

James Weldon Johnson’s famous spiritual poem is read by James Earl Jones, and illustrated with a unique form of clay animation.  Johnson… 

• COMET, 1985; 12 MIN. 

Directed by Sidney Goldsmith. 

Using animation, this film describes how comets are transformed from icy lumps into luminous bodies as they near the sun. The eventual decay is also described. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada. 

• MAGNETIC TELESCOPE, 1942; 8 MIN. 

Directed by Dave Fleischer.  

A mad scientist invents a machine that captures comets, causing much destruction. Superman must save Metropolis! 

• RESCUE PARTY, 1978; 20 MIN.

Directed by Bernard Wilets.

An expedition of alien races comes to Earth to rescue the inhabitants from the ? 

explosion of the sun. To their surprise, the planet has fled in primitive spaceships. Because of the speed with which Earth responded to the challenge, the aliens are unsure whether to contact them since they may pose a threat to the rest of the universe. From a story by Arthur C. Clarke.?? 

• COSMOS, 1970; 6 MIN. 

Directed by Jordan Belson. 

Using special optical effects, this film creates an abstraction of a cosmic atmosphere in which the viewer is projected into an illusionary experience of floating and spinning in space, edged by galactic mists and masses. Distributed by Pyramid Films. 

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Miami-Dade Public Library System’s Division of Special Collections & Archives holds rare and irreplaceable historical documents for the benefit of the public and scholarly community.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 system. 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. 

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