"There are a good many people who care a great deal about the difference between good and bad movies. They are the people who will be most interested to learn more about Cinema l6." -James Agee, The Nation, l948 From October l946 until May l963 Amos Vogel, together with his wife Marcia Vogel and Jack Goelman, selected and presented the programs of New York's Cinema l6 Film Society. With over 7,000 members in the l950s, it was the largest film society of its time, and the model and inspiration for many film societies which followed. As its name indicates, Cinema l6 focused on works made in l6mm, traditionally the format of non-commercial filmmaking. With the Vogels' creative programing, audiences were exposed to the diverse possibilities of cinema beyond the Hollywood feature. Classic and experimental films, portraits of artists, cartoons, political documentaries and scientific films were brought together in original, provocative programs designed to create a dialog between film and audience, and also between film works, with the intent of stimulating change. The list of filmmakers who received their first or early screenings at Cinema l6 reads like the ABCs of alternative cinema: Robert Breer, John Cassavetes, Shirley Clarke, Bruce Conner, Joseph Cornell, Georges Franju, Robert Gardner, Alexander Kluge, Norman McLaren, Margaret Mead, Roman Polanski, Alain Resnais, Ron Rice, Alain Tanner, and Agnès Varda. In the l500-seat theater at the High School of the Fashion Industries, and on Sunday mornings at the Beekman, Paris, Murray Hill and other Manhattan theaters, members gathered to see films which were not shown on any other screen in town. Whether a work by an unknown experimental filmmaker, a film made for psychiatrists, or one subject to censorship, Cinema l6 was committed to making the unavailable available, a commitment which eventually included providing distribution for many of the films screened. While great care was taken in the selection of films, similar attention was given to the presentation, including program notes written by such film scholars as Richard Griffith, Arthur Knight, Siegfried Kracauer, Jay Leyda and Parker Tyler. After Cinema 16 closed, Amos Vogel went on to found the New York Film Festival, write books and articles, and teach at Harvard University. He currently teaches at University of Pennsylvania where he continues to explore new ways of looking at film. It is with great pleasure that we present the following films selected and introduced by Amos Vogel. Enjoy the experience of Cinema l6. -Kathy Geritz