Media Burn Archive - Four decades of documentaries

Welcome to Media Burn

Media Burn Archive collects, restores and distributes documentary video created by artists, activists and community groups. Media Burn is a project of the Fund for Innovative TV, which has been producing challenging documentary video and television since 1990.
Our Mission

Our mission is to use archival media to deepen context and encourage critical thought through a social justice lens.
Donate

The national significance of the collection of more than 8,000 videos has been recognized with grants from the National Archives, the “Save America’s Treasures” program of the NEH, the NEA, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, and MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Your support is a critical part of our success. Please donate today.
Our video transfer services

The boxes of tapes in your basement or closet may be deteriorating much faster than you think. You will have no better chance of transferring them successfully and for a reasonable cost than today. Media Burn is a boutique footage transfer service that provides highly personalized attention to your project.

New Videos

Some Messages From the Backs of Postcards

Global Perspectives on War and Peace

Chuck Kleinhans’ reflections on the making of “Postales de Nicaragua Libre / Postcards From Nicaragua,”
La Gigantona Shoot

1984-01-01 / Video from the Global Village

00:01 Camera opens on some men standing in a truck and children surrounding them in Nicaragua. The kids crowd around the camera and recording equipment. They unload drums and masks from the truck, and the kids play the drums. Shots of people walking around and kids putting on the masks. Men riding on a tractor. Woman speaks in spanish as a demonstration for the camera and the drums play, large masks dance. 16:33 Cut to a group of men sitting … Continue reading →
You’re invited to a party in a Frank Lloyd Wright House!

August 20, 2018 at 4:17 pm / Blog

Tickets are extremely limited! Reserve your spot today! Buy Your Ticket or Contribute Now
Aretha Franklin, Queen of Soul (1942-2018)

August 16, 2018 at 4:05 pm / Blog

Aretha Franklin, legendary Queen of Soul most famous for her recording of Otis Redding’s “Respect,” died today at age 76. In 1992, Franklin memorably opened the Democratic National Convention by singing the national anthem. This footage was preserved by Media Burn with support from the Save America’s Treasures program of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. It is part of The 90’s Election Specials collection of more than 120 hours of footage documenting … Continue reading →
The New Klan: Heritage of Hate

1978-01-01 / American Way, Eleanor Bingham Miller

2017 restoration version. Continue reading →
Welfare TV

Guerrilla TV, TVTV
Free Lunch

Guerrilla TV, TVTV

TVTV demo for a show where they take high profile guests out for lunch. Continue reading →
[Joe Cruz tennis shop]

1973-06-01 / Guerrilla TV, TVTV

Exterior TVTV headquarters (aka Joe Cruz tennis shop), San Francisco. Continue reading →