ABOUT CINECON
WHAT IS CINECON?
If you’ve never been to a Cinecon you might ask “What’s it all about?” Well…
Taking place in the heart of Hollywood, Cinecon is a five-day celebration of film – featuring screenings, celebrity guests, and other special programs. This Labor Day weekend, beginning Thursday night, September 1, and continuing through Monday afternoon, September 5, film fans attending the show will be treated to many rare features and shorts, and have an opportunity to join additional special programs unique to Cinecon. The Cinecon Classic Film Festival is a non-profit volunteer organization devoted to the appreciation and preservation of our film heritage. It attracts film enthusiasts from across the nation and around the world, as well as many industry people.
CASABLANCA and GONE WITH THE WIND? Great movies, but you won’t see them at Cinecon. We specialize in running rare, unusual, and unjustly forgotten movies from the silent and early sound era. Most films are screened in 35mm and silent films include live piano accompaniment. Cinecon is truly 7th Heaven for Cinephiles who have seen nearly everything TCM and AMC have to offer.
For more than fifty – six years, Cinephiles from across the nation and around the world have come together over Labor Day weekend to celebrate the movies.
BEGINNINGS
The Society for Cinephiles, Ltd, as our group was first known, was established in 1965 by Tom Seller, an avid reader of The 8mm Collector magazine, and Cinecon 1 was sponsored by Samuel K. Rubin, publisher of The 8mm Collector, in Indiana, Pennsylvania. It was a small affair with only a handful of die-hard film fans. They gathered in a small room at the local Holiday Inn and showed each other 8mm silent films from their personal collections. This was 1965 before videos and DVDs, a time when, if you wanted to see your favorite old film, you had to wait until it turned up on TV or else you had to buy a projector and start your own film collection in 8mm or 16mm.
THE LAST FEW YEARS
For many years Cinecon screenings took place at the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian located at 6712 Hollywood Blvd. The historic Egyptian theater was renovated and restored in 1998 by the American Cinematheque group. They managed to maintain the historic integrity of the theater while installing state-of-the-art projection and sound equipment making it the optimum venue for all formats of film.
The following year another cinephile, Clark Wilkinson, hosted the show in Baraboo WI and Cinecon officially became an annual event. For the next several years the Cinecon moved from city to city as a sort of moveable cinematic feast. Today, the fanzine 8mm Collector is known as the respected Classic Images magazine, and since 1990 Cinecon has made its home in the Los Angeles area.
As part of the experience we also hosted other concurrent events and markets, as well as a celebrity Career Achievement Awards Banquet, which generally took place a few blocks down the street at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel at 1755 North Highland Avenue. The Renaissance Hotel is the cornerstone of the Hollywood and Highland Entertainment complex which features retail stores, fast food eateries, movie theaters, and restaurants – as well as houses the Kodak Theater which is the home of the Academy Awards. Cinecon attendees received a special discount when booking their accommodations at the Renaissance.
The celebrity Career Achievement Awards Banquet presents awards to four Hollywood luminaries at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel. Previously honored Cinecon guests include Patricia Neal, Celeste Holm, Diane Baker, Glynis Johns, Jackie Cooper, Mickey Rooney, Rhonda Fleming, Ray Harryhausen, Luise Rainer, Jane Russell and Roger Corman.
Through our forty-five year history such Hollywood legends as Colleen Moore, Myrna Loy, Hal Roach, Burgess Meredith, Alice Faye, Jean Simmons, Fayard Nicholas, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Eleanor Powell, Ruby Keeler and directors Robert Wise, Delbert Mann, Ronald Neame and Vincent Sherman have also been Cinecon honorees.
VOLUNTEER FOR CINECON
BE PART OF THE MAGIC
Have you ever said to yourself “Gee, those folks helping to put on Cinecon sure look like they’re having a lot of fun!” Well, of course not, because when you see us we usually have that shell-shocked look that comes from too many tasks and too few bodies to do the work!! You can help remedy this situation by becoming a Cinecon Volunteer.
Stella Grace is our dedicated volunteer coordinator, and she’d love to hear from you and put your talents towards the service of the Cinecon Classic Film Festival.
You can give Stella a call at (401) 400-1807 or e-mail her at stella102245@gmail.com
Join the Big Parade and become a Cinecon Volunteer!
SAY HELLO
Don’t hesitate to reach out and say hello! Send us a message or comment. And make sure to let us know what you love about Cinecon. We love hearing from you and we try to respond as quickly as we can.
Email Us
cinecon52@aol.com
Write Us
3727 W. Magnolia Blvd, #760, Burbank, CA 91505