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Won by a Fish, with Mary Pickford (Biograph, 1912), courtesy the Library of Congress

The Magical Camera

Early Silent Films with New Scores

Art Films and Special Screenings

  • Sunday, January 29, 2023
  • 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  • East Building Auditorium
  • In-person
  • Registration Required

Registration is required and opens Friday, January 20 at noon.

Early motion picture studios copyrighted their films by depositing contact prints on photographic paper with the Library of Congress. The Library’s Paper Print Collection is a vast and valuable collection of these reels, the earliest of which date from the 1890s.

This program highlights ten digitized paper prints paired with new scores composed by students at The Catholic University of America’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art. Washington-DC based ensemble Balance Campaign performs live, conducted by Andrew Earle Simpson.

All films preserved by the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center.