Media Burn Archive - Four decades of documentaries

New Videos

Actor and Director Penny Marshall Passes Away at 75

December 20, 2018 at 2:57 pm / Blog

Actor, director, and producer Penny Marshall passed away this week at age 75. Marshall rose to fame with her role as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom, Laverne and Shirley. Her performance earned her three Golden Globe nominations for best actress in comedy television. But she didn’t just work in front of the camera. Marshall is responsible for some of the most iconic films from the 1980s and 1990s. She directed Big, starring Tom Hanks, in 1988. It became the first … Continue reading →
Call for Artists: Countering Fake News with Art and the Archive, in Russia and the United States

December 18, 2018 at 4:38 pm / Blog

Media Burn Archive announces an open call for applicants for a collaborative found-footage film project, which is partially supported by the International Connections Fund of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Four artists total from Chicago and St. Petersburg will each create an approximately 15 minute-long found-footage film which will be assembled into an anthology film. Artists will then spend a week together in Russia and also in Chicago for workshops, screenings, and cultural experiences. Each artist will … Continue reading →
David Orr, Mayor for 8 Days and County Clerk for 28 Years, Retires

December 14, 2018 at 10:49 am / Blog

David Orr was mayor of Chicago for just 8 short days, holding the record for shortest time in office. But, he holds another record: longest serving Cook County Clerk, with 28 years in the position. He retired on Friday after almost 50 years of service for the city of Chicago. Orr served as mayor for 8 days after the sudden death of Mayor Harold Washington in 1987. He previously served as alderman, working with Washington on initiatives such as banning … Continue reading →
Hollywood Comes To Chicago

1979-08-31 / Chicago

This short documentary details how the Chicago film scene grew under Lucy Salenger’s direction, specifically following John Landis as he scouts locations for Blues Brothers. Continue reading →
When George H. W. Bush Was President…

December 7, 2018 at 3:51 pm / Blog

Amid the praise for 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, after his death last week, some of the contemporary feelings about him and his war policy were mostly missing from the extensive coverage. We found another perspective in our video archives from his time in office. In this video letter sent to President George Bush in October 1990, Alex Molnar talks about sending his son to serve in the Persian Gulf. Part of the Global Perspectives … Continue reading →
Electronic Masks

1978-01-01 / Chicago, Image Processing

Electronic image processed video art featuring spiritual themes that was created by Barbara Sykes using the Sandin Image Processor. Continue reading →
Celebrating Timuel Black’s 100th Birthday

December 5, 2018 at 12:20 pm / Blog

This Friday, Chicago historian and activist Timuel Black will celebrate his 100th birthday. Born in Alabama on December 7, 1918, Black and his family moved to Chicago’s South Side in 1919 as part of the Great Migration. Black’s life as a civil rights activist began after he returned from serving in World War II. In an interview with the University of Chicago, he said, “I made an emotional decision that when I returned from the Army, that most of the rest … Continue reading →
Before Colin Kaepernick, There Was Dave Meggysey

November 30, 2018 at 9:08 am / Blog

In 2016, Colin Kaepernick knelt during the National Anthem to protest the racial injustices that permeate the United States. Almost 50 years before Kaepernick’s protest, St. Louis Cardinals linebacker, Dave Meggysey, had a similar idea. In the above clip, Meggysey explains how he refused to place his hand on his heart to make a statement about the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. He also passed a petition around to other players calling for the withdrawal of troops from … Continue reading →