Anthology Film Archives evolved from roots and visions that go back to
the early 1960s, when Jonas Mekas, the director of the Film-Makers’
Cinematheque, a showcase for avant-garde films, dreamed of establishing a
permanent home where the growing number of new independent/avant-garde
films could be shown on a regular basis.
In the decades since its
founding, Anthology has grown far beyond its original concept to
encompass film preservation; the formation of a reference library
containing the world’s largest collection of books, periodicals, stills,
and other paper materials related to avant-garde cinema; and a
remarkably innovative and eclectic film exhibition program. Anthology
screens more than 900 programs annually, preserves an average of 25
films per year (with over 900 works preserved to date), publishes books
and DVDs, and hosts numerous scholars and researchers.
Fueled by
the conviction that the index of a culture’s health and vibrancy lies
largely in its margins, in those works of art that are created outside
the commercial mainstream, Anthology strives to advance the cause and
protect the heritage of a kind of cinema that is in particular danger of
being lost, overlooked, or ignored.