Schnitzer Cinema: Saving Brinton with a Skype Q&A with archivist Michael Zahs

In a farmhouse basement in the Iowa countryside, Michael Zahs makes a remarkable discovery: the nitrate film show reels of William Franklin Brinton, the man who introduced moving pictures to the American Midwest. Among the treasures are rare footage of President Teddy Roosevelt, the first moving images from Burma, and a lost relic from special effects inventor Georges Méliés. As Zahs uncovers this hidden trove, he undertakes a journey to restore Brinton’s legacy and save his irreplaceable cinematic treasures from turning to dust. (Directors: Tommy Haines and Andrew Sherburne, 87 min.)