Classic stars live in-person with films spanning almost the entire 20th century take over the Nuart Theater
Last year, the Library of Congress reported that 75% of all American silent films are considered lost. It’s always a huge story in the world of movie-lovers when a forgotten title shows up at a flea market or in someone’s attic. When The Pill Pounder, a 20-minute comedy by 1920s “It Girl” Clara Bow, appeared at auction in 2023, the discovery was compared to finding a lost Picasso. Last year, a Japanese fan of the lost horror film London After Midnight used artificial intelligence to fake a version of what has long been considered the holy grail for horror fans and cinema collectors.
Since 1965, the Cinecon film festival has brought together a community of film fans to enjoy rare classics on the big screen. Thousands of titles have unspooled, from the earliest experiments by Georges Méliès to newsreels, cartoons and Technicolor musicals. This year’s five-day fest features films spanning much of the 20th century, from 1914’s Magic Cloak of Oz to My Favorite Year released in 1982.
Every year, stars and directors of classic films are selected for the Cinecon Legacy Award and will appear live on stage for a Q&A session. This year’s honorees include Lainie Kazan, Nancy Kwan, Anna Maria Alberghetti and Barbara Eden. Actor Pat Boone, Eden’s co-star in 1961’s All Hands on Deck, will present the award to the 95-year-old star of I Dream of Jeannie.
The fest is not all feature films. Debra Levine will present her book Jazzed: Jack Cole and Twentieth-Century American Dance, Kinecon at Cinecon will show off early television shows recorded on film directly off a TV screen in the 1950s, and stay for the 100-year-old film of the New York Philharmonic performing a Wagner opera. Try to find those on Netflix!
Cinecon Film Festival
Nuart Theater, West Los Angeles
September 3-6, 2026
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