Secret Cinema: FILMS FROM FLP

Name: Secret Cinema: FILMS FROM FLP
Start: 2026-04-04T14:00:00-04:00
Location: Parkway Central Library - Free Library of Philadelphia

Schedule

Sat, 04 Apr, 2026 at 02:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Parkway Central Library - Free Library of Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA

On Saturday, April 4, the Secret Cinema will return to the Parkway Central Library to present a special film screening celebrating a time when anyone could borrow 16mm film prints from the Free Library of Philadelphia, as easily as they were loaned books.
Before the mid-1970s introduction of the VCR, the only way to watch movies outside of a theater or on television was by using a 16mm or 8mm film projector. Everyone who attended school between the 1920s and the home video era saw educational films projected in their classroom, and 16mm movies were used in churches, clubs, library branches…and the private homes of the few lucky enough to own a projector. As a result, many municipal library systems recognized a need to loan prints to these users, and assembled film lending libraries. The Free Library of Philadelphia was no exception. Printed catalogs detailed thousands of shorts and features available for free: documentaries, educational subjects, Hollywood classics, animation and art films.
In the early 1990s, after declining use, the FLP film collection was shipped off to the state library system -- who themselves eventually "de-accessioned" all film holdings. However, other copies of several titles in the FLP catalogs would eventually find their way into the Secret Cinema archive. Thus, FILMS FROM FLP will comprise a representative sampling of some of our favorite reels from this largely forgotten era of alternative film distribution.
There will be one complete program starting at 2:00 pm in the Montgomery Auditorium. Admission is free.
As always -- still -- Secret Cinema programs are shown using 16mm (not video, not digital) FILM projected on a giant screen.
Just a few highlights of FILMS FROM FLP include:
OUR CHANGING CITY (1955) - Made by the City of Philadelphia during the administration of Mayor Joseph Clark, this vivid color film makes the case for urban renewal (i.e., demolition and new construction) while showing a wide range of cityscapes -- from new homes in the Northeast to the poverty of people living in houses without plumbing or electricity.
TOYS (1966, Dir: Grant Munro) - This notable anti-war short was seen by millions, both in international film festivals and by schoolchildren (it was a staple of school film libraries). A group of kids stare into the window of a toy shop, where the toys come to life via stop-motion animation…to horrifying effect.
GLASS (1959, Dir: Bert Haanstra) - This wordless look at glassmaking in Holland was perfectly edited and synchronized to a lively jazz score, and resulted in a startling new (and oft-imitated) style of documentary film.
LONELY BOY (1962, Dir: Wolf Koenig) - A close-up look at the world of teen idol Paul Anka, shot with hand-held cameras and portable equipment in an early work of the Direct Cinema movement. Anka is seen performing and greeting lovestruck fans at Atlantic City's Steel Pier and the short-lived Freedomland theme park in the Bronx, as his manager praises his artist's "unbelievable" talents.
BOUNDARY LINES (1945, Dir: Phillip Stapp) - This political cartoon makes effective use of simple animation and avant garde music to delineate the differences between men which cause war. This short was included in the very-first program of Amos Vogel's long running Cinema 16 film society, in November of 1947.
…and much more.
SECRET CINEMA website: https://www.thesecretcinema.com