Festival Schedule 2026
Attendees enjoying a screening of Kimiko (Mikio Naruse, Japan 1935, 74 min., 35mm nitrate) at the 9th Nitrate Picture Show. Photo: Jackie McGriff Photography
Thursday, June 4, 2026
9 a.m. onward – Festival registration opens
9 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. – Louis B. Mayer Conservation Center Nitrate Vault Tour 1 (off-site via bus, maximum 15 people, $30 per person, passholders only, reservation required)
10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Press conference and announcement of titles (open to the public)
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Nitrate Touch (all museum visitors)
11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. – Louis B. Mayer Conservation Center Nitrate Vault Tour 2 (off-site via bus, maximum 15 people, $30 per person, passholders only, reservation required)
11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. – Louis B. Mayer Conservation Center Nitrate Vault Tour 3 (off-site via bus, maximum 15 people, $30 per person, passholders only, reservation required)
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Reanimating History: Preserving the Library of Congress’ Paper Print Collection (passholders only, reservation required, maximum 70 people)
12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. – Concert in the historic mansion (grand piano, free to museum visitors)
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. – Louis B. Mayer Conservation Center Nitrate Vault Tour 3 (off-site via bus, maximum 15 people, $30 per person, passholders only, reservation required)
2 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. – darker (digital screening, 75 minutes) with filmmaker Bill Morrison in person (free for all passholders, no reservation required)
3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. – Concert in the historic mansion (Aeolian pipe organ, free to museum visitors)
3:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. – Louis B. Mayer Conservation Center Nitrate Vault Tour 4 (off-site via bus, maximum 15 people, $30 per person, passholders only, reservation required)
7:30 p.m. – Why Change Your Wife? (1920, Cecil B. DeMille), with piano accompaniment by Philip Carli
9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. – Nitrate Picture Show Movie Trivia at Radio Social
Friday, June 5, 2026
9:30 a.m. – Nitrate shorts
Tom Turk and Daffy (1944, Chuck Jones)
Imogene Coca screen test (ca. 1936, Selznick International Pictures)
Selznick Home Movie (1944, the Selznick Family)
Kreise (1933, Oscar Fischinger)
Komposition in Blau (1935, Oscar Fischinger)
Berliner Stilleben (1926–1932, László Moholy-Nagy)
Footage of Atomic Blast at Nagasaki (1945)
El día que me quieras (1935, John Reinhardt)
Uppbrott (1948, Arne Sucksdorff)
Apple Andy (1946, Walter Lantz)
Speaking of Animals: A Musical Way (1945, Lou Lilly)
Inspirace (1949, Karel Zeman)
1:30 p.m. – Keepers of the Frame: Robert Daudelin
3 p.m. – Unter den Brücken (1945, Helmut Käutner)
7 p.m. – When Tomorrow Comes (1939, John M. Stahl)
9:15 p.m. – This Happy Breed (1944, David Lean)
Saturday, June 6, 2026
9 a.m. – Camille (1936, George Cukor)
1 p.m. – Nitrate avant-garde
Philips-Radio (1931, Joris Ivens)
La Petite Marchande d’allumettes (1928, Jean Renoir), with piano accompaniment by Philip Carli
Un chien andalou (1929, Luis Buñuel), with gramophone accompaniment by Kirk McDowell and Deb Stoiber
3:15 p.m. – Keepers of the Frame: Paolo Cherchi Usai
4:45 p.m. – Ala-Arriba! (1942, Leitão de Barros)
8:15 p.m. – Midnight (1939, Mitchell Leisen)
Sunday, June 7, 2026
10 a.m. – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938, Norman Taurog)
2 p.m. – Bellissima (1951, Luchino Visconti)
4:30 p.m. – Blind Date With Nitrate!
Click here to view the whole catalog.
Photo: Tomas Flint
Louis B. Mayer Conservation Center Nitrate Vault Tour
At the 10th Nitrate Picture Show, we are excited to offer a rare, behind-the-scenes tour of the upgraded and expanded Louis B. Mayer Conservation Center, the George Eastman Museum's esteemed nitrate vaults. Located off-site in North Chili, New York, this state-of-the-art facility houses more than 24,000 reels of highly flammable nitrate film, meticulously preserved under strict temperature and humidity controls to maintain the beauty and clarity of this remarkable medium. Led by our knowledgeable Collection Manager Deborah Stoiber, tour guests will gain insight into the history and care involved in preserving nitrate film, including the unique challenges that come with such volatile yet visually captivating material. Guests have the opportunity to learn about the intricate work required to protect cinematic history, from handling protocols to the technical requirements for storage. Capacity is limited to fifteen guests per tour, and transportation to the vaults will be provided via tour bus. Attendance is open only to Nitrate Picture Show passholders who have reserved their spot via $30 fee.
Photo: Jackie McGriff Photography
Concerts in the Historic Mansion
Join us on June 4, 2026 for a unique musical experience with acclaimed musician, conductor, and composer Andreas Benz in the historic mansion. He brings decades of formal training and teaching experience, grounded in his studies at the Stuttgart Music Conservatory and Pordenone Masterclasses, and his work as a music educator in Heilbronn. Known for his expertise in silent film accompaniment and vintage dance band music from the 1920s and 1930s, Benz will present two distinct concerts: a piano performance and a program on the Aeolian pipe organ. This year’s program will feature musical selections from the nitrate film era, including requests from last year’s audience as well as the greatest hits of 1926. Both concerts are free to Nitrate Picture Show passholders and all other museum guests.