Chicago Film Archives is a regional moving image archive located in Chicago, Illinois. CFA is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying, collecting, preserving and providing access to films that reflect Chicago and the Midwest region of the United States. Since its founding in late 2003, the archive has expanded to include over 160 film collections, which combined contain nearly 30,000 films and elements. CFA safeguards its moving image collections through stabilization, digitization, and climate-controlled-storage.
The History
CFA was established as a non-profit 501 institution in late 2003 in order to preserve and catalogue over five thousand16mm films donated by the Chicago Public Library. Director Nancy Watrous and a few devoted film archivists then conceived a plan to create a regional film archive that preserves, promotes, and exhibits moving image materials that reflect Chicago and Midwest history and culture. In May 2004, CFA moved to its permanent home at 329 West 18th Street in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.
The Collection
CFA's collections consist of both professional and amateur films. The genres and forms of CFA's collections include educational films, industrial films, documentaries, advertisements, newsreels, experimental films, amateur films, and home movies. The majority of the collections consist of small gauge film formats, including 16mm, 8mm, and Super 8mmmotion picture film. hosts CFA collection finding aids as well as over 1,500 streaming digitized films from CFA's collections.
Notable Collections
: films made by Chicago filmmaker DeWitt Beall, including the 1970 documentary Lord Thing about the Conservative Vice Lords
: films and papers of Margaret Conneely, a prolific and respected Chicago amateur filmmaker
: wrestling films featuring professional bouts shot at Chicago's International Amphitheatre in the early 1950s. Many of these bouts are streaming on CFA's YouTube Channel,
: films and papers of independent Chicago filmmaker JoAnn Elam
: films and videotapes that document the dance legacy and artistic circle of dancer and choreographer, Ruth Page
: films that document the rapidly developing city of Chicago during the mid-century and the life of Rhodes Patterson, a designer, cinematographer, photographer, and writer who worked for Container Corporation of America
: medical films produced by Chicago-based child psychiatrist, Dr. Jerome L. Schulman
: experimental films and home movies created by Chicago-based photographer and Institute of Design IIT alum, Robert Stiegler
