On Monday, April 29th, Film at Lincoln Center held a gala at Alice Tully Hall to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
Starting in 1969, Film at Lincoln Center has created a place for lovers of cinema and art to appreciate films. What started off as an event to honor the return of Charlie Chaplin became an incredible platform for film appreciation. Annual festivals showcasing the work of new and foreign directors allowed their art to reach audiences that would otherwise be unreachable. Movies in the parks brought cinema to the five boroughs, and films in education, allowed the youth of NYC to tap into their creative sides and learn about filmmaking and expression through film.
To celebrate the monumental milestone, Film at Lincoln Center held a 50th-anniversary gala at Alice Tully Hall on Monday to look back at their incredible past, but also look forward, for a brighter future of cinema. To speak at the Gala, the society invited people involved and touched by the community. Martin Scorsese, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, Michael Moore, Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Dee Rees, John Waters, Pedro Almodóvar, and Darren Aronofsky, all spoke about their memories, experiences, and what it meant to be part of the society.
Martin Scorsese spoke about his experience being a part of the society since the second film festival. Michael Moore spoke about how the society literally started his career as a filmmaker, and Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan talked about how they grew up with the society and how it was a haven for them. Everyone had something special to share about why the society was important to them, and why future generations need Film at Lincoln Center. Between the speeches, clips of the standout movies from every decade since the early 1960s played as well as commentary from the core directors of the society, describing what defined that decade for the society. To see how the times have changed each decade and how films and art have changed just the same was very interesting.
50 years doesn’t seem like a very long time; it’s less than an average lifetime, but when you consider that America has existed for four lifetimes, it becomes exceedingly apparent how long 50 years is. In the 60s, the society was in its infancy and the movies they showed were black and white silent films. As the years passed, synchronized sound was introduced to films. While people of the time believed that this was “the end of true cinema” (this sentiment comes up a lot when films advance, evidently), Film at Lincoln Center believed in the new technology, showcasing movies with sound. Color films, Super 8, and digital films were all introduced over time and were all embraced by the society as a better way for filmmakers to create art.
Organizations like Film at Lincoln Center are incredibly important for not only preserving cinema but making it accessible to everyone and most importantly, connecting people. The society has had 50 amazing and colorful years, and here’s to 50 more!
Check out Film at Lincoln Center here!
