This is the City: Symposium Day 2
A day-long series of discussions and screenings. Coffee and refreshments will be available beginning at 9:30 a.m. and throughout the day.
Download a PDF of the symposium schedule >
Advance sales for passes are now closed.
Unedited footage: “Los Angeles, 1920”
Brief screening includes images of Echo Park, Broadway, Olive Street, Mack Sennett Studios, First National Exhibitors', Consolidated Film Corporation, Fox Film Corporation, Film Row, film distributors, the Rosslyn Hotel and street scenes.
Live musical accompaniment provided by Cliff Retallick.
Session 1: Lost Angeles: Preserving the City on Non-Theatrical Film
Local moving image archivists will discuss and present examples of ephemeral works that document the city in unexpected ways. Context to include the long-term preservation issues and priorities associated with non-studio footage.
Presenters: Lynne Kirste, Academy Film Archive; Todd Wiener, UCLA Film & Television Archive; Dino Everett, USC Hugh M. Hefner Moving Image Archive. Moderator: Dan Streible, NYU, Moving Image Archiving and Preservation.
Session 2: Unexpected Travelogues
Academics will illuminate the city and its spaces from various perspectives derived from disparate sources of archival motion pictures, television programs, and ephemeral films.
Presenters: Janet Bergstrom, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television; Mark Shiel, King's College London; Lynn Spigel, Northwestern University. Moderator: John Caldwell, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
Clip: “Ralph Story’s Los Angeles”
Clip looks at the Jewish community in Boyle Heights.
Introduction: Dan Einstein, UCLA Film & Television Archive.
Session 3: In Plain Sight – Hidden Los Angeles Through the Archive
Obscure moving images reveal the Los Angeles that Hollywood ignores; the importance of preserving marginalized communities is examined through archival footage.
Presenters: Jacqueline Najuma Stewart, University of Chicago; Lane Ryo Hirabayashi, UCLA Department of Asian American Studies; Marsha Goodman, filmmaker; Allyson Nadia Field, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Moderator: Jacqueline Najuma Stewart.
“Los Angeles: Wonder City of the West” (1935)
Brief screening includes a visit to Olvera Street, numerous motion picture studios, and an appearance by Walt Disney.
Introduction: Jan-Christopher Horak, UCLA.
Session 4: Framing the Shortfalls of the City in the Frame
Activists utilize moving images to reveal the realities of the city, in direct contrast to Hollywood depictions.
Presenters: David James, USC; Joshua Glick, Hendrix College. Moderator: Ellen Scott, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television.
Clips: “Oddball Film+Video Archive Looks at Los Angeles”
Introduction: Stephen Parr.
To report problems, broken links, or comment on the website, please contact support
Copyright © 2025 UCLA Film & Television Archive. All Rights Reserved
Mobile Navigation