The Permanent Seminar on Histories of Film Theories is committed to promoting the translation, preservation, and distribution of writing and media relevant to the study of cinema. Listed below is a collection of useful resources for scholars working on cinema and media history.
Affiliated Resources:
Jean Epstein Critical Essays and New Translations Sarah Keller, Jason N. Paul
Our partners at Amsterdam University Press have an innovative approach to film history and theoretical concerns. Among the list of antipicated titles from Permanent Seminar’s book series, “Film Theory in Media History,” are these forthcoming new collections of Epstein and Eisenstein.
View their complete catalogue here:
Aesthetics and Philosophy on Film
- David Rodowick’s fine resource for film theory “promote(s) the research and teaching of the moving image in the domains of aesthetics and the philosophy of art.”
Advanced Research Team for the History and Epistemology of Moving Image Study (ARTHEMIS)
- Research group based at Concordia University, Montreal rethinking the moving image, epistemology and history of film study. Co-host of the recent IMPACT conference in Montreal.
Digital Media Archives:
- Aimed at making African films available all around the world, this online platform offers access to a wide range of movies for a small fee. Language: English
Asia Pacific Online Film Library
- For a small fee you can have access to a wide range of films from Asia and the Pacific, including films that have never been seen outside of their countries. Language: English
BFI InView. British History through the Lenses
- The BFI presents an online collection of non-fiction and television films classified under 6 themes: Education, Uk Industry & Economy, Health, Law & Order, Environment and Immigration, Race & Equality. Language: English
- With an impressive catalogue comprised of 90,000 clips of documentary and newsreels footage, produced since 1895, and available online for free. Language: English
- Includes information on the production, distribution, exhibition, and reception of films produced in Neatherlands from 1986 to 1960. Language: Dutch & English
CineFiles. The University of California Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive.
- A repository of scanned images from press kits, festival programs, newspaper articles, reviews and other documents from the PFA’s library. Language: English
Colonial Film Database: Moving Images of the British Empire
- An extensive online catalogue of around 6000 films related to the British Empire, showing life in the British colonies. Language: English.
- This digital archive makes available online around 175.00 documents of the Thomas A. Edison Papers. Language: English
- An online digital archive that provides free access to European heritage films, as well as related information available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German. Language: English, French, German, Italian & Spanish
- Presents a collection of newsreels, amateur documentaries, government films, and home movies, illustrating life in Britain during the Second World War. Language: English
Filmoteka of the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw
- The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw presents an online collection of Polish moving image artists from the 20th and early 21st Century. Language: Polish & English
- A collection of archival films that deal with the Indian and Pakistani Independence struggles (1929-1947) and Pakistan’s early history. Language: English
- NO-DO, the Spanish newsreels produced from 1943 to 1981 during Francisco Franco’s totalitarian regime, now available online. Language: Spanish
Historical Film Archive of LUCE Institute (Italy)
- A wide collection of Italian documentary films and newsreels from L’Unione Cinematografica Educativa (L.U.C.E), starting on 1924. Language: Italian
- A collection of 60.000 “ephemeral” (educational, advertising, industrial, and amateur) films founded by Rick Prelinger in 1983 and acquired by the Library of Congress in 2002. Language: English
The Internet Archives – Movies
- An online open access library of moving images including cartoons, classic feature films, and news broadcast. Language: English
- Here you can find a wide range of articles, magazines, novels, children’s fiction, historical texts, and academic books. Language: English
- Founded by poet Kenneth Goldsmith in 1996, UbuWeb was one of the first online educational resources to offer free access to avant-garde material, including sound art, films and poetry.Language: English