This feature was published in conjunction with the screening of High Treason at SFSFF 2026 It was the dawn of a new era and Gordon Conway had arrived in time to represent. Illustrating for top fashion magazines in New York, London, and Milan, designing theater sets, window displays, and ad … [Read more...] about Gordon Conway
High Treason
A band of evil arms-dealers plot to blow up the Channel Tunnel and bomb tall buildings in New York, driving two great superpowers to the brink of war. Will London’s Peace League be able to save the world? High Treason is set in the London of the future. The city’s skyline, in high Art Deco … [Read more...] about High Treason
Miss Lulu Bett
Four versions of Miss Lulu Bett—novel, play, revised play, and film—bounced out between 1920 and 1921 in such rapid succession they practically collided. Zona Gale’s book earned a rave in the New York Times in March of 1920, the theatrical adaptation (again by Gale) won a Pulitzer the following … [Read more...] about Miss Lulu Bett
Sensation im Wintergarten
German films of the Weimar era often feature individuals struggling to escape either circumstance and convention, with their fate—especially their happiness hanging in the balance. It was the tenor of the times. Sensation im Wintergarten (released as Their Son in the U.K.) is one such film. Its … [Read more...] about Sensation im Wintergarten
Asta Nielsen Debuts in The Abyss
What’s striking about the Danish actor Asta Nielsen’s debut film The Abyss, marketed in the English-speaking world in the 1910s as Woman Always Pays, is how frankly it acknowledges and depicts female desire and its costs, as the original English title makes plain. Asta’s character Magda is a … [Read more...] about Asta Nielsen Debuts in The Abyss
The Clown
THE CLOWN was preceded by Asta Nielsen’s debut film THE ABYSS (Afgrunden, 1910, directed by Urban Gad and costarring Paul Reumert, 38 min.) also from the Danish Film Institute. On March 16, 1917, the world was stunned by news of the sudden, unexplained death of the Danish actor Valdemar … [Read more...] about The Clown
THE GENERAL at the Orinda Theatre
We are pleased to announce a centennial celebration of Buster Keaton’s 1926 masterpiece accompanied live by maestro Timothy Brock conducting his original score. Tickets for this special event at the beautiful Orinda Theatre will go on sale on May 27. Watch this space! Sean Axmaker writes: No … [Read more...] about THE GENERAL at the Orinda Theatre
Amazing Tales from the Archives 2026
Our Amazing Tales program began in 2006 as a way to highlight the importance of film preservation and to provide insight into the remarkable work done by film archives around the world. This year’s presenters include Kyle Westphal, Thomas Christensen, Andreas Thein, and Carlo Chatrian. The Case … [Read more...] about Amazing Tales from the Archives 2026