Online film program & discussion, “The Trailblazers of Early Cinema,” February 1, 2021.

The Women’s Film Preservation Fund of New York Women in Film & Television presents Trailblazers of Early Cinema:
A silent film program of pioneer filmmakers: Angela Murray Gibson, Grace Cunard, Lois Weber and Alice Guy-Blaché.

The filmmakers in this silent program represent some of the first women to make films in the early days of cinema (1910s-1920s). They wore multiple hats on their productions – from writer, director and producer to sometimes actor. Many of these filmmakers’ works have been forgotten. It is Women’s Film Preservation Fund’s mission to preserve these engaging, cinematic treasures and share them with a new audience.

Program Line-Up:
Mixed Pets (1911, 9 min.) || Director & Writer: Alice Guy-Blaché
A cute comedy about misunderstandings that arise when a new husband refuses to buy his new wife a dog and the couples’ domestic help conceal the fact they are married with a baby. Puppies and babies become mixed up in cabinets as everyone tries to hide their adored ‘pets.’

Tramp Strategy (1911, 12 min.) || Director: Alice Guy-Blaché
A mischievous vagabond infiltrates a bourgeois household in this newly discovered one-reel comedy by the pioneering female director Alice Guy.

How Men Propose (1913, 5 min.) || Director & Writer: Lois Weber & Phillips Smalley
Three friends, without knowing it, successively propose to a woman named Grace Darling

Unmasked (1917, 11 min.) Actor, Writer, Director & Producer: Grace Cunard
A heist caper about two jewel thieves competing for the same necklace and co-starred Grace Cunard’s long-time acting partner Francis Ford (John Ford’s brother).

That Ice Ticket (1923, 10 min.) Producer, Director, Writer & Actress: Angela Murray Gibson
To entice potential suitors, a woman posts a sign offering “Free Ice”. Her young brother, in order to weed out unsuitable potential suitors, replaces it with a “SMALLPOX” sign.

Program Running Time: Approximately 48 minutes

Screening Available: January 28th – February 1st 2021 (Links sent from Cinesend)
View Q&A: February 1st at 4 pm (EST)
Cost: $2 for NYWIFT Members; $3 for Non-Members

Moderated by WFPF Founder Barbara Moss with guest panelists Kim Tomadjoglou and Buckey Grimm

For more information and to register, visit NYWIFT website.