"A Recognized Screen": The New York Annual Movie Parties from Parlor to Public

Scholars and archivists of amateur cinema in recent years have started to appreciate the significant creative accomplishments of this kind of filmmaking. However, amateur films often remain somewhat opaque because we know relatively little about the contexts of their exhibition and reception. To address this challenge, this essay closely examines a specific series of amateur-film screenings held annually in New York during the 1930s. The shifting exhibition circumstances and institutional collaborations of these events illuminate some of the general parameters and challenges of amateur-film exhibition during the period.