Oliver Gaycken Co-Organizes "Films of State" Film Conference with National Archives
April 20, 2021
Films of State discussed the latest research on films made by the US government.
Associate Professor Oliver Gaycken co-organized an online conference with the National Archives titled "Films of State", a film conference discussing the latest research on films made by the US government. The conference covered federal organizations from the United States Army Signal Corps to the Office of Economic Opportunity and everything in between. Films made by the United States Information Agency were covered extensively, reflecting current scholarly interest. Every panel included either a briefing on related moving image records held at the National Archives or a staff member on hand during the discussion session to help attendees learn how to find and use federal moving image records or associated textual records.
In addition to the academic sessions, Films of State had an evening screening with films and clips related to the presentations and panel on the practical uses of government film, from its role as historical evidence to reuse by educators and in television documentaries.
The idea for Films of State was conceived by Dr. Oliver Gaycken, a professor in the Cinema and Media Studies Program at the University of Maryland and Dr. Martin Johnson, of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Gaycken, who teaches just down the road from Archives II in College Park, approached staff at NARA with the concept of a government film conference, and the team realized that the timing was perfect for a virtual event.
Looking toward a spring conference, the Motion Picture Preservation Lab collaborated with the Moving Image and Sound Branch to start planning. Dr. Brian Real (UMD iSchool PhD alumni), of Southern Connecticut State University, joined a team that eventually included a half dozen NARA staff to organize and coordinate.