Collection inventory

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Film Forum Collection

An inventory of its collection at the Syracuse University Archives

Finding aid created by: Anna Smallwood
Date: 2015

Revision history:
June 2022	Style updates (MAM)

Historical Note

The Film Forum at Syracuse University was a program that was dedicated to the viewing and studying of films, which operated from 1962-1984.

The Film Forum began in 1962 when Norman Keim started showing 16mm films on Syracuse University's campus. It wasn't until 1967 that the program received its name "Film Forum" and when used theater equipment was installed in Gifford Auditorium, where film viewings were held until the program ended. The Film Forum had series dedicated to ethnic film and retrospectives or film series focusing on an actor, director or producer. Often times, retrospectives would include a visit from the named actor, director or producer.

In 1971, the Film Forum was incorporated as an independent organization for non-profit status. Syracuse Film Forum Foundation, Inc., of which Keim was the executive director, worked with local high schools and hospitals to broaden the community's horizons in film. It also gave out grants to student filmmakers.

The Film Forum also resulted in the creation of the Film Forum Library, which was funded by movie admission fees. The library was created from the purchase of books and other materials, including films. The collection in the Film Forum Library was available to local high school and university students for use. The collection grew and eventually was placed in the Syracuse Film Study Center, which Keim ran in addition to his other duties. Since film was taught in different departments, the Film Forum and the Film Study Center helped to bring people in the different programs together and served as a center for film on campus.

By 1980 however, with a lack of student interest, the Film Forum no longer ran films each week. The subsequent year, the Syracuse Film Forum Foundation, Inc.'s status changed to inactive. Three years after that, Syracuse University pulled its half of the funding from the Film Forum and it was officially over when the Film Study Center was shut down in 1984. After student protests, the Film Study Center was kept open for a while longer, but with limited student staffing. Many of the materials from the Film Forum Library and Center were eventually moved into Syracuse University Libraries' collections.

The Film Forum was really the work of Norman Keim, who was originally hired to be a part of the United Campus Christian Fellowship and a staff member at Hendricks Chapel. He taught some film classes at Syracuse University and served as director of its pre-college summer study programs. In 2008, Keim published Our Movie Houses: A History of Film and Cinematic Innovation in Central New York.

Scope and Content Note

The Film Forum Collection contains materials such as photographs, attendance records, tickets and schedules for the films it showed while active at Syracuse University from the 1960s through the 1980s. There are also materials such as correspondence and other supporting documentation from retrospectives.

Many of the actors, directors and producers named in the retrospectives would visit and speak at Syracuse University and included film industry leaders like actors Henry Fonda and Rod Steiger, producer Joseph Levine and director Peter Watkins. Materials from these events are also included in this collection along with photographs of the visitors, mostly during their visit.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

Also in the University Archives are clippings files on Norman Keim and the Film Forum as well as on the various visitors for the Film Forum. The Portrait Collection contains photographs from the Rod Steiger Retrospective, as well as photographs of Norman Keim.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Keim, Norman O.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University. -- Film Forum.

Subjects

Film and culture.
Film festivals.
Student activities.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Photographs.
Posters.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Film Forum Collection,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Norman Keim in 2015.

Processing Information

Materials were placed in archival folders and boxes.

Arrangement

Folders are arranged in alphabetical order.

Table of Contents

Files

Inventory