Core Collection Files

MHL Collections - Core Collections Files

The Core Collection Files contain articles clipped from a wide range of newspapers and magazines, studio press releases, publicity and advertising material, and photographs.

Categories include Production files, Biography files, Subject files, and Awards and Festivals files. The files document more than a hundred years of films and filmmaking. New material is continually added to the files, making them an invaluable resource not only on the history of cinema but also on the contemporary motion picture industry.

·       Production files include reviews, articles, cast and credit sheets, synopses, and studio production notes, as well as programs, pressbooks, lobby cards, and photographs. In addition to files on American and foreign feature films, the collection includes files on live-action and animated shorts, documentaries, and experimental films. There are also a significant number of files on film projects that were never completed or released.

·       Biography files contain magazine and newspaper articles, press releases, studio biographies, and photographs. Individuals whose careers are documented in the files include actors and actresses, filmmakers, craftspeople, technicians and executives.

·       Subject files include articles, reports, press releases, photographs and other materials on motion picture-related companies, studios and organizations, as well as on topics such as censorship, distribution, film genres, locations, and the motion picture industries in other countries.

·       Awards and Festivals files include information on the various film awards, other than the Academy Awards, as well as extensive coverage on hundreds of film festivals around the world. The files include clippings, press releases, programs and other materials.

The Core Collection files are available for use without an appointment at the library. Researchers unable to visit the library may be able to obtain duplicates of microfiche or photocopies from the files through the National Film Information Service.

SEARCH PRODUCTION FILES

To inquire about holdings in the Biography, Subject, and Awards and Festivals files, please visit the library, contact the reference staff by phone at (310) 247-3020, or use the E-Reference form.