Wednesday, May 13, 2009

1 PM to 2 PM

Miami-Dade Public Library

101 West Flagler Street, Miami, FL 33130

Free and Open to the Public!

On Wednesday, May 13, 2009 The Lynn and Louis II Wolfson Florida Moving Image Archive will screen archival footage of “Momma Lives on Miami Beach.” The screening is free and open to the public.

“Momma Lives on Miami Beach“, a WPLG-Miami 1974 Historic Florida Project, brings to light the less emphasized image of Miami Beach “a ghetto in the sun” that is home to a growing community of poor and struggling older people. The great strength of South Beach, as shown in this program, rises in the tenacity and self knowledge of the neglected elderly, and the program focuses namely on the struggles and triumphs of this downtrodden group.

A SPECIAL ONLINE EDITION OF "VIDEO REWIND" scroll down for video
In the late 1950s, the Cuban revolution put a spotlight on Latin America, which would soon became an important economic and political focus for the United States. Over the years, the rising prominence of the Hispanic population in South Florida and our proximity to Latin America gave us an unique perspective on news coverage dealing with issues important to the region.

These videos are presented by the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives during the October 2008 Hispanic Heritage Month. Each is South Florida television news documentary. They are transfers of original 16mm Kinescopes from WCKT (WSVN) Miami.

CUBA: DAYS OF DECISION from July 26, 1959. WCKT-MIAMI Special Report documenting the the period of unrest in Cuba just six months after the fall of the Batista regime. This report features interviews with prominent Cubans and Americans with insight regarding the turmoil in Cuba. See footage of Fidel Castro and his band of followers coming down from the mountains and parading through the streets of Havana after the defeat of Batista's supporters. The program also debates whether or not Communism may flourish in Cuba.

OUTLOOK: Cuba, The Unfinished Revolution from 1964. A production of WCKT-MIAMI on the 5th anniversary of the Castro regime program that is hosted by Wayne Fariss. It’s an examination of Anti-American trends since 1800's featuring a chronology of Cuban leaders.

The Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archive presents an online Video Rewind Screening of "The Age for Space" and "T Minus 15 and Counting."

A WCKT - Miami (WSVN) special programming of "The Age for Space" is a kinescope program from 1963. This special report examines the outlook for the State of Florida to retain and attract business in the technologically advanced space age. According to the program, the lack of advanced courses in science and technology at both the university and secondary levels has left Florida with a deficit of future workers trained in space science and technology. "The Age of Space" also looks at the plans of several South Florida communities and institutions of higher learning to improve their programs so that Florida can remain a gateway to space.

"T Minus 15 and Counting", produced by Coronado Studios and sponsored by the Florida Department of Education circa 1963, is an educational film that focuses on the academic curriculum in South Florida schools and how it prepares students for careers in space technology. The schools began to feature marine biology, computer and electronics courses, and physical education in addition to programs in vocational education. The film includes a speech by Floyd T. Christina, Florida State's Superintendent of Public Education.

"MIAMI’S MISSION TO RUSSIA” PART II

The Red Star II 1959

"The Red Star II" is a WCKT - Miami (WSVN) kinescope special program from 1959. This program intended to portray what life was like in Russia to American viewers. An overview of the socialist system and a tour of major points of interests in Russia are included. "The Red Star II" also discusses the industrialization of Russia, the educational system, and judicial system.

BACK TO “MIAMI’S MISSION TO RUSSIA” PART I

"MIAMI’S MISSION TO RUSSIA” PART I

This is Russia 1959

This video features excerpts from "This is Russia", a WTVJ - Miami kinescope program narrated by Ralph Renick in 1959. A group of Florida professional businessmen visited Russia to capture footage of everyday life in Communist Russia and briefly discuss the country's history. Free health care services lead to over-crowded hospitals. Supermarkets and traffic are non-existent due to the poor economy. Khrushchev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union, is also interviewed about his country's lack of intent to go to war.

“MIAMI’S MISSION TO RUSSIA” PART II

"Home Movie Day," An International Celebration,

comes to South Florida on Saturday, October 18, 2008 at 4pm

Miami-Dade Public Library, 101 West Flagler Street, Downtown Miami

Admission FREE

The Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives joins other organizations around the country and abroad in taking part in International Home Movie Day, a celebration of 8mm and 16mm home movies and amateur film. Initially founded in 2002 by a small group of film archivists, Home Movie Day was first celebrated in globally 2003. In just a few years the event has grown to encompass events in the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Canada and Singapore, as well as the United States.

"Home movies have increasingly become valued as primary source materials for historians," says Don Chauncey, director for the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives. "These films, like diaries of ordinary people, provide a unique view of family and society. In addition, they often are the only remaining images of people, events, and objects long gone. "

"Wolfson Archive has hosted Home Movie Day locally since it's inception," says Barron Sherer, curator at the archive. "While small gauge films are a fixture of our preservation efforts and screenings year round, Home Movie Day acknowledges the international interest in intimate, personal films that document our history and culture."

At the screening of recently acquired home movies, the archive welcomes donors - the people who shot the film and their families -to share reminiscences about the people and places shown.

Wolfson Archive has been collecting home movies since 1986 and its collection of amateur film is recognized as one of the most significant in the country, containing one of the largest home movie and amateur film collections in the country, with the oldest images dating from 1910. Chauncey continues, "If you have a box of old 8mm or 16mm home movies that includes scenes of Florida, please donate them to Wolfson so we can save them for the future. If they are in good enough condition, we can make a DVD copy for your family to enjoy."

DATE: Saturday, October 18, 2008

TIME: 4:00pm-5:30pm

LOCATION: Auditorium, Miami-Dade Public Library, 101 West Flagler ST, Miami, FL, 33130

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Link: Miami Herald Article on Home Movie Day

Link: Center For Home Movies

The Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archive presents a Video Rewind Screening of an Election Year special. Two political documentaries from 1958 will shed light on how modern Miami Dade County was created and what elections were like 50 years ago.

"The Desperate Need for Home Rule" is a 1958 political documentary narrated by WTVJ - Miami News Anchor Ralph Renick and featuring Florida Governor Leroy Collins. The film argues the need for all Floridians to pass "Amendment 2", the Home Rule Charter, during the November 1958 Election. The Home Rule Charter was concerned with making Miami-Dade County a home rule county, which would grant its citizens the power to adopt their own rules for governing the county's affairs and to determine the method of electing commissioners.

"Election Returns" is a 1958 kinescope recording also from WTVJ - Miami and narrated by Ralph Renick. The documentary focuses on the election after the polls closed and includes reports on the tallying process and computing the results. The senator and local race results are included in this film.

Vivien Lesnik's childhood was anything but ordinary. Born in Havana, Vivien came to Miami as a girl. In America, bombings, death threats and drive-by shootings were a daily occurrence at Vivien's new home. The catalyst for this violence was Vivien's father, Max. A friend and comrade of Fidel Castro, Max Lesnik left Cuba after ideological differences put distance between him and Castro's government.

In Miami, Max Lesnik opposed both the Cuban regime and U.S. Cuba policy. In print and on the radio, he advocated open debate and, in time, dialogue and reconciliation with Cuba. Max Lesnik defied the political orthodoxies of Miami's Cuban exile community and found himself, his family and his little girl at the storm center of Cuban exile politics.

Vivien Lesnik grew up to become filmmaker Vivien Lesnik Weisman. The Man of Two Havanas is her controversial and poignant exploration of her father's fascinating story and her quest to understand her roots, her family, and the social and political currents that swirled around them.

The Man of Two Havanas
EXCLUSIVE MIAMI PREMIERE
Presented by the
Lynn & Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives
Saturday, September 20, 7:30 PM at the Colony Theatre
Tickets on sale NOW! $10.00 online at www.ticketmaster.com. Service charges apply.

MEET FILMMAKER VIVIEN LESNIK WEISMAN & DISCUSS THE FILM FOLLOWING THE SCREENING! Read more…..

Directed by Sam Peckinpah, and featuring scenes cut from the original release, Major Dundee stars Charlton Heston and Richard Harris as officers from opposite sides of the Civil War who band together to hunt down a band of Apache renegades. Sunday August 24, 7:00 to 11:00 pm.

Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami BeachTickets are Available from TicketMaster for $10.00