Los Angeles, CA, USA — The first meeting of the LA 3-D Club was held on July 21st, 1955. The first documented public exhibition of a 3-D motion picture took place on June 10, 1915 at New York’s Astor Theatre. The LA 3-D Club, LA Filmforum, and 3-D SPACE are proud to commemorate these important events with a very special presentation of 3-D RARITIES, an amazing collection of stereoscopic treasures dating back to the dawn of 3-D cinematography, followed by a Q&A with Bob Furmanek, founder and president of the 3-D Film Archive, and producer of these restorations. The event will take place at 2pm on Sunday, July 19th, at the Downtown Independent theater, 251 S. Main Street, in downtown Los Angeles. Tickets are on sale now at http://3drarities.bpt.me
They include: Kelley’s Plasticon Pictures: THRU’ THE TREES, WASHINGTON D.C., the earliest extant 3-D demonstration film from 1922 with incredible footage of Washington and New York City; NEW DIMENSIONS (aka MOTOR RHYTHM) the first domestic full color 3-D film originally shown at the New York World’s Fair in May 1940; THRILLS FOR YOU, a fascinating promotional film for the Pennsylvania Railroad, first shown in 1940 at the Golden Gate International Exposition in San Francisco; BOO MOON, an excellent example of color stereoscopic animation from 1953; DOOM TOWN, a controversial anti-atomic testing film which was mysteriously pulled from theatrical release after a few play-dates in July 1953; I’LL SELL MY SHIRT, a burlesque comedy unseen in 3-D for over 60 years; THE MAZE coming attraction trailer with fantastic 3-D production design by the legendary William Cameron Menzies, and much more.
Presented in high quality digital 3-D, all films in 3-D RARITIES have been restored and mastered in 2K from original 35mm elements for optimum quality. Meticulously re-aligned shot by shot for precise registration of the original left/right elements, these historic 3-D films have never before looked this good!
In 1990, Bob Furmanek realized a majority of the world’s 3-D film heritage was on the verge of being lost forever. In response, he founded the 3-D Film Archive, an organization dedicated to rescuing, preserving and restoring our stereoscopic heritage. Over the next two decades, Mr. Furmanek preserved over fifty 3D films, and at one point, the Archive held the largest collection of vintage stereoscopic elements in the world. Over the past two -and-a-half decades, he has worked with NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, MGM/Park Circus, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, George Eastman House, the British Film Institute, the Stanford Theater Foundation, UCLA Film & Television Archive, the Museum of Modern Art and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Most recently, Mr. Furmanek helped ensure the preservation of the 1954 feature GOG, and has spearheaded the home video release of the 1966 film THE BUBBLE through Kino and his own compilation of historically-important 3D shorts entitled 3D RARITIES through Flicker Alley. This compilation has since toured the country, selling out shows at such venues as the Museum of Modern Art. www.3dfilmarchive.com
The LA 3-D Club was established in the Greater Los Angeles area in 1955 by a dedicated group of 3-D stereo photographers to further the art and science of stereoscopic photography. For six decades members have been meeting monthly to share images created through stereoscopic photography, computer generated imagery, and film and video. www.LA3DClub.com
Founded in 1975, Los Angeles Filmforum promotes a greater understanding of media art, and the role of the artists and curators who create and present it, by providing a forum for independently produced, noncommercial work which has little opportunity of reaching the general public. Filmforum is currently the longest-running venue in Southern California dedicated exclusively to the ongoing, non-commercial exhibition of independent, experimental, and progressive cinema. www.lafilmforum.org
3-D SPACE, the Center for Stereoscopic Photography, Art, Cinema, and Education, is a museum, gallery, theater, library and classroom dedicated to both the preservation of the history of stereoscopic imaging, and the advancement of current and future 3-D arts and sciences. The 3-D SPACE mission is to educate people of all ages in the art, science, and history of stereoscopy, stereography, and the principles and aesthetics of all forms of three-dimensional imaging, images and media. www.3-DSPACE.org
