SCMS Supports Canyon Cinema Foundation

The Society for Cinema and Media Studies is proud to announce that it is providing financial and institutional support to Canyon Cinema Foundation, the San Francisco-based film organization that, since the early 1960s, has been and continues to be an essential source for the preservation and dissemination of independent, experimental cinema.  

In recent years, Canyon has faced significant financial difficulties due to the rapid decline of the production and exhibition of works on 16mm film, even though hundreds of key works by major independent filmmakers made available by Canyon are still only available in that format.

The SCMS mission statement includes as one of its goals “to promote the preservation of our film, television, and media heritage.”  We view our official support of Canyon as a demonstration of that mission.  We especially wish to support Canyon’s ongoing effort to maintain its invaluable archive and access services as it works towards establishing non-profit status.

SCMS also encourages institutions to support Canyon by contributing $1000 to the Canyon Cinema Foundation or by holding benefit screenings for a contribution of $1250. Individuals are welcome to contribute smaller amounts. You can donate directly here: http://canyoncinema.com/about/donate. 

For additional information on how to support Canyon Cinema Foundation, please contact Denah Johnston (denah@canyoncinema.com), Scott MacDonald (smacdona@hamilton.edu) or Michael Renov (renov@usc.edu).