01 Jan 1948
California's Golden Beginning
A description and enactment of the discovery of gold by James Marshall, and the role played by John Sutter. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.
Claymation: Three Dimensional Clay Animation
A look inside the Will Vinton Studio, with specializes in stop-motion animations with clay. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013.
Top Billed Cast
Similar movies
California's Golden Beginning California's Golden Beginning Primary 
Primary 08 Nov 1960
Primary
Primary is a documentary film about the primary elections between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey in 1960. Primary is the first documentary to use light equipment in order to follow their subjects in a more intimate filmmaking style. This unconventional way of filming created a new look for documentary films where the camera’s lens was right in the middle of what ever drama was occurring. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 1998.
The Sun's Gonna Shine 
The Sun's Gonna Shine 02 Jan 1969
The Sun's Gonna Shine
A lyrical recreation of Lightnin’ Hopkins’ decision at age eight to stop chopping cotton and start singing for a living. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013.
Eclectic Shorts by Eric Leiser 
Eclectic Shorts by Eric Leiser 30 May 2006
Eclectic Shorts by Eric Leiser
Eric Leiser displays his boundless creativity in this short collection; A stunning compilation of works presented with a mixture of live action, stop motion animation, puppetry and pixilation techniques, produced between 2001 and 2006.
Appointment in Tokyo 
Appointment in Tokyo 07 Dec 1945
Appointment in Tokyo
Produced by the Army Pictorial Service, Signal Corps, with the cooperation of the Army Air Forces and the United States Navy, and released by Warner Bros. for the War Activities Committee shortly after the surrender of Japan. Follow General Douglas MacArthur and his men from their exile from the Philippines in early 1942, through the signing of the instrument of surrender on the USS Missouri on September 1, 1945. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013.
Showman 
Showman 02 Jan 1963
Showman
Albert and David Maysles (Gimme Shelter) directed this 53-minute documentary about movie tycoon Joseph E. Levine (1963). Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.
Hope Chest Hope Chest 01 Mar 2025
Hope Chest
A mother’s hope chest becomes a catalyst for her daughter’s reconsideration of traditional gender roles in this charming stop-motion animation.
The Painting 
The Painting 08 Nov 2019
The Painting
For three and a half centuries, from the same day that Diego Velázquez (1599-1660) applied his last brushstroke to the canvas, the enigma of “Las meninas, o La familia de Felipe IV” (1656) has not been deciphered. The secret story of a painting unveiled as if it was the resolution of a perfect crime.
Wonderland of California 
Wonderland of California 01 Jan 1933
Wonderland of California
Short film made up of various clips showcasing the Cinecolor process, including a visit to a Marx Brothers film set. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation.
WEED 
WEED 23 Jan 1971
WEED
This 1971 color anti-drug use and abuse film was produced by Concept Films and directed by Brian Kellman for Encyclopedia Britannica. “Weed: The Story of Marijuana” combines time-lapse, montage, illustrations, animation (by Paul Fierlinger and emigre Pavel Vošický) and dramatized, documentary-style interviews to survey the evolving role of cannabis in U.S. society, with emphasis on the legal risks faced by young people. A unique score of experimental synthesizer music is provided by Tony Luisi on an EMS VCS 3 “Putney”
The Unseen 
The Unseen 12 Jul 2019
The Unseen
When Tehran hosts visiting foreign dignitaries, the local authorities clean up the city’s urban image through the controversial process of ‘urban beautification’. Those who are deemed unsavoury are rounded up – drug users, prostitutes and the homeless who sleep in cardboard boxes on sidewalks and who they would rather remain unseen. When these very important people leave, the men are released but the women are kept as wards of the state. An animated documentary made using hand-crafted cardboard miniatures and the voices of women to tell their story, one that has been five years in the making. A story that shows how the face of a city can change, but what is underneath often does not.
Ray Harryhausen: Working with Dinosaurs 
Ray Harryhausen: Working with Dinosaurs 25 Dec 1999
Ray Harryhausen: Working with Dinosaurs
A tribute to stopmotion supremo and special effects genius extraordinaire Ray Harryhausen, the man behind some of cinema's greatest fantasy films - The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, Jason & The Argonauts and One Million Years BC. Featuring exclusive footage of Harryhausen at work on his first stopmotion for over 20 years, and contributions from many of Hollywood's top special effects directors and creators.
Chicken Real 
Chicken Real 01 Jan 1970
Chicken Real
One of Les Blank's industrial films, which follows a Holly Farms "broiler" chicken from factory incubation to the county fair barbecue pit. A hilarious, disturbing and surreal look at a large-scale chicken farm producing 156 million chickens a year! Film includes lots of chicken songs and music recorded live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013.
100 Watts 120 Volts 100 Watts 120 Volts 01 Jan 1977
100 Watts 120 Volts
The mechanized production of Duro-Test light bulbs is filmed as a dance to the tune of the Brandenburg, as choreographed filaments, glass, and metal combine in a dynamic finale. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2013.
Mardi Gras Carnival 
Mardi Gras Carnival 16 Feb 1898
Mardi Gras Carnival
The film is part of Eye Filmmuseum’s Mutoscope and Biograph Collection. This collection consists of about 200 films preserved on their original 68 mm format. The digital file provided is scanned in 2022 at Eye Collection Center, from the 35 mm duplicate negative that was made in 1998. After the first analogue preservation round made 25 years ago, Eye is now undertaking the digital restoration of the Mutoscope & Biograph Collection. “Mardi Gras Carnival” became the focus of attention, thanks to its inclusion within ‘The Artistry of REX’ exhibition, that opened in the summer of 2022 at the Louisiana State Museum.
Aletsch Negative 
Aletsch Negative 06 Nov 2019
Aletsch Negative
The Aletsch Glacier is the longest and largest glacier of the Alps. According to glaciologists, most glaciers will have disappeared by the end of this century, and only bits of the Aletsch will remain. Through a journey into the body of the glacier the film offers a compelling and unsettling visual experience in which our perception of the nature of the images we see, scale and temporality are questioned.
Food 
Food 30 Dec 2014
Food
This is an animated documentary about FOOD! I interviewed vegetarian, vegan, pescetarian and meat eater about their opinions about food and life choices. Then I animate real food with stop-motion technique based on the interviews. By putting the conversations in different context, the food speak for themselves.
Between East and West Between East and West 09 Jun 1949
Between East and West
Short by Stuart Schulberg. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.
One Hand Don't Clap 
One Hand Don't Clap 28 Aug 1991
One Hand Don't Clap
Kavery Kaul’s engaging documentary traces the history of calypso and soca music from their birth in the African-East Indian traditions of Trinidad and Tobago through its worldwide diaspora, including its popularization in the 1950s by Harry Belafonte and the new independent distribution networks that arose to serve the expatriate community in the 1980s. North American restoration premiere at To Save and Project: The 19th MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation on January 27 and 31, 2023. Digital restoration by the Academy Film Archive and the Women’s Film Preservation Fund of New York Women in Film & Television; courtesy of Riverfilms.
People Who Make Things People Who Make Things 01 Jan 1970
People Who Make Things
A portrait of three Los Angeles area residents who create things with their hands. Angelo Austin decorates wedding cakes; Dean Jeffries designs, manufactures, and paints custom cars; and Pamela Weir-Quiton creates wooden dolls. Restored by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.