D.W. Griffith Film Festival Records

D.W. Griffith, a native of Louisville, found national prominence as a producer of silent movies in the early days of film. In honor of this native son, two Louisville institutions, WAVE-TV and the University College of the University of Louisville, sponsored the D.W. Griffith Film Festival in connection with an amateur film contest. Inaugurated in 1970, the film festival enjoyed local and national attention. Unlike other national film festivals, the Griffith Festival included a silent film catagory, the media of D.W. Griffith. Although University College discontinued its support in 1972, the idea was picked up by the Speed Art Museum, which held the D.W. Griffith Film Festival annually.

One box contains the collection and covers all aspects of planning and implementation. Notes, correspondence and proposal drafts relate the many details involved in planning. Newsclippings and press releases provide background information on the festival and D.W. Griffith. Applications reflects the concerns and interests of young filmmakers in the early 1970s. The collection rounds out with judge's comment sheets and photographs of various films.