The UCLA Film & Television Archive is, after the Library of Congress, the largest collection of media materials in the United States and among the premier film preservation institutions in the world. The Archive’s annual preservation efforts—an ambitious, eclectic range of everything from lost silents to at-risk mid-century features, shorts, and documentaries—find new audiences in each year’s Festival of Preservation in Los Angeles and in the works selected for a smaller touring program. We are pleased to present the 18th Festival Tour, a surprise-filled treasure trove sure to delight cinema lovers of many persuasions. “Forget Blu-ray discs and plasma TVs. For true cinephiles, nothing lets a movie really sing like a pristine celluloid print. In which case, UCLA’s Festival of Preservation is a veritable opera.” —Matt Sussman, Flavorpill.

Special thanks to Shannon Kelley, Head of Public Programs; Steven Hill, Circulation; Todd Weiner, Archivist; and Dr. Jan-Christopher Horak, Director, UCLA Film & Television Archive, for making these new preservation prints available. Program notes are adapted from the 2013 Festival of Preservation program catalogue, which includes additional information about the films and the Archive’s ambitious preservation efforts. See listings for complete restoration credits.

In this series, co-presented by Yale Union and the Northwest Film Center, thirteen documentaries explore the production and distribution of material and immaterial goods. Some of these films were commissioned by companies representing specific interests, but the majority were made by filmmakers who felt compelled to record and scrutinize an often unseen facet of consumerism. Central to the program is the insight that with the advent of cinema, the world became visible in a whole new way, yet most mainstream films today still take place in a part of life in which we are led to believe that work does not exist, where goods seem almost immaculately conceived. The films of “Production/Distribution” consistently work against this lack of representation and describe the processes, facilities, locations, and durations of how things are made and transported. Special thanks to Robert Snowden and Lucas Quigley, co-curators of the series; thanks also to Hope Svenson. See yaleunion.org for detailed program notes.

Burt Lancaster cut his teeth in the circus and vaudeville but achieved everlasting fame in the motion pictures. Iconic star of such classic films as THE KILLERS (1946), SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957), and BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962), he acted with charm and wit, starring alongside some of Hollywood’s most glamorous and respected stars. Lancaster daringly performed his own stunts throughout his career, often making public appearances recreating noteworthy stunts as proof. Finally, with partners Harold Hecht and James Hill, Lancaster cannily produced films under their HHL banner—including many of Lancaster’s films and critical and commercial successes like MARTY (winner of the 1955 Academy Award for Best Picture). Lancaster’s film career spanned countless genres over five decades, during which the popularization of color in film, the Hollywood blacklist, and the move to widescreen all transformed the industry. This 12-film retrospective (on 35mm prints!) features some of Lancaster’s most esteemed roles and reveals that while changes to the industry are visible in the films, one constant remains: Lancaster and his trademark grin.

With the recent release of Miyazaki’s THE WIND RISES, we are pleased to present “Classics from Studio Ghibli.” Founded in Tokyo in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, Studio Ghibli is one of the most successful and well-respected animation studios in the world. Cultivating a creative force of talented directors, animators, and storytellers under the revered brilliance of Miyazaki and Takahata, Studio Ghibli’s films have been critically praised for their originality, dazzling animation, and epic storytelling and loved by audiences of all ages throughout the world. We are pleased to bring these great films back to the big screen on new 35mm prints made especially for this studio retrospective.

All films are in Japanese with English subtitles unless otherwise noted.

The ongoing Northwest Tracking series focuses a spotlight on the work of independent filmmakers living across the Northwest—Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington—whose work reflects the vibrant cinematic culture of the region. Please join us on March 6 for the announcement of the 2014 Oregon Media Arts Fellowship winner.