Save A Film

Help us to save films by sponsoring the digitization and uploading of a film to the Internet Archive

Sponsoring a film is inexpensive, a great way for you to join us and preserve little-known but remarkable films. When you do, everyone can then see them free of charge on the Internet Archive. You can already view many rare and "lost" 16mm films from our noted collection and uploaded them for free public viewing. With your help, we can digitize and upload more. We’d like you to sponsor a film for uploading, and depending on the film, your sponsorship may be tax-deductible --- we're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. If your film is eligible, we'll send you a tax confirmation letter within one week of receiving your donation. You can also receive a DVD of the film you sponsored by request.

Please select a film in the category of $160, $320, $480, or $640 (see full instructions below to select your film).

Instructions to sponsor a film:

1) Please select any copyright-free 16mm films from our from our pre-defined eligibility list, or go to our chronological shows pages and make a suggestion from those films, You get to choose, from ethnographic, arts, sciences and other subject genres. We’ll even help, if you need a suggestion.

2) Then, email us and we'll tell you if the film is still eligible. If your film is eligible, please send us a check to fund your sponsorship.

Sponsorships are based on the following scale:
    -400 feet reel (up to 10 minutes) $160
    -800 feet reel (11-20 minutes) $320
    -1200 feet reel (21-30 minutes) $480
    -1600 feet reel (31-45 minutes) $640
    - Please add $20 for each film with an "EB" designation before the distribution date on the entry for a given film on
      our Films Eligible for Uploads page.

3) We’ll ship the film to our digitizer, who will convert the film to MPEG2, and upload it to the Internet Archive. Your name will be listed as the sponsor of the film. Any questions? Then contact us.

This program allows you to participate directly in preserving an important element of cinematic history. Your sponsorship will provide an opportunity for the world to see the film free of charge. Remember that the AFA has no paid employees, so all of your donations go to our film preservation projects. We’ve collected these valuable films not to sit in a warehouse unused, but to be shown. This is our opportunity, together, to give life to great films that have been forgotten. Please sponsor a film to preserve it digitally for future generations.

Read Peter Bennett's write-up of our initiative on O'Reilly Radar.

Check out our Internet Archive space at www.archive.org/details/academic_films to view AFA films that have already been uploaded, sponsored by people like you.