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Taos Talking Pictures Records

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-738-BC

Scope and Content

This collection contains administrative materials of the Taos Talking Pictures as well as news clippings, articles, publicity, programs and other information on the Taos Talking Picture Festival and the Media Literacy Forum. The records are divided into four series.

Administrative:The administrative component of the Taos Talking Pictures records consists of board and staff meeting minutes, budgets for 1993-2003, papers identifying the original name of the organization as All One Company, correspondence and faxes covering the festival and media literacy forum as well as normal administrative information, suggestions on improving the festival, Talking Pictures newsletter for 1995, Screens, Taos Talking Pictures official newsletter, 1999-2000, information on local artists like Ken Price and R. C. Gorman who were commissioned to create awards and festival posters and research about festivals, fundraising and the local economy of Taos. The Board of Directors' minutes contain reports from various committees such as Nominating, Strategic Planning, Outreach, Development, Special Events, and By-laws. They also contain financial information, Board retreats and annual meeting minutes. There are news clippings and articles, reviews, publicity, handbills, and playbills about films shown at the Taos Talking Picture Festival. This series also includes information on several fundraisers held by the organization.

Taos Talking Picture Festival: This series contains material covering the 1995-2003 film festivals. There are official programs, call for entries, movie descriptions, clippings, festival schedules, guest appearance schedules, Open Sheet screening schedules, events schedules, postcards, press kits, some containing publicity photographs, press releases for films shown such as, My family/Mi familia, tickets, information on special awards, sponsorship and advertising kits, festival posters, Taos vacation guides, and festival follow up reports.

Media Literacy Forum:This series contains general information on media literacy, clippings, correspondence, events, schedule, budget, and biographies of presenters at the Media Literacy Forum at the Taos Talking Picture Festivals for 1995-1999. The material predominately covers 1996. There is also information on New Mexico Media Literacy Project, Media Literacy workshops in New Mexico, Downs Media Educational Center, Taos County Media Literacy Network, and Center for Media and Values. Also in this series are two Digital Audio Tapes (DAT), which have been converted to Computer Discs. One is "David Barsamian on Corporate Culture," a Media Literacy lecture presented at the 1996 Taos Talking Picture Festival by author and host of NPR's "Alternative Radio." The second is a panel discussion entitled "Power of the Purse Strings," also presented at the same Media Literacy Forum in 1996. The moderator is Deirdre Downs and panelists include Heather Wilson, Kara Murtesz, Marcie Kelly, Amy Simon, and Roger Morris.

Photographs and Slides: This series contains photographs and slides from festival events, mostly unidentified.

Dates

  • 1984-2003
  • Majority of material found within 1993-2003

Language of Materials

English

Language of Materials

Spanish

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Copy Restrictions

Limited duplication of CSWR material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with all copyright, privacy, and libel laws. Permission is required for publication or distribution.

Background Information

Taos Talking Pictures, producers of media education programs and an annual film festival, was originally founded in 1994 as All One Company. In 1995 the organization changed its name to Taos Talking Pictures, Inc. and by March 29 of that year was officially recognized under that name. Founding members were Executive Director Joshua Bryant (Joseph H. Bryant), Philip Kirk, Linda Feferman and L. M. Kit Carson. Bryant became known as founding director in 1997 when Mary Lane Leslie was appointed executive director. At that time the board of directors was expanded from 6 to 15 members. According to Joshua Bryant the responsibilities of the Board were to set policy, identify educational goals and help in fund-raising and development.

In the Taos Talking Pictures Film Society brochure, the organization describes itself as "a New Mexico based not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging the thoughtful production and informed consumption of mass media, offering year-round programs and events culminating in the five-day Taos Talking Picture Festival held in April of each year." The organization funded and supported outreach and educational programs throughout the year in various aspects of media-center education, such as classes in screenwriting, acting, directing, documentary filmmaking and producing. It also sponsored film screening on issues like the environment and human rights for school groups, the "Meet the Film-maker lecture," an educational resource project to promote film appreciation in the community, and Talking Pictures Film Series which showed independent, foreign and documentary films.

The first Taos Talking Picture Festival was held April 6-9, 1995 in Taos, New Mexico. It billed itself as a multicultural celebration of cinema artists, their art, and its audience. The focus was media literacy, Native American and Hispanic filmmakers, and "new film discoveries steeped in the spirit of the West." Through the years several filmmaker awards and tributes were presented. For the Great Western Land Grant Award Taos Land and Film Company gave five acres of land for the freshest approach to story telling. The Maverick Award was given to the film maker who had had a distinguished career but kept a strong sense of himself. The Taos Mountain Award recognized outstanding achievement by a Native American film professional. The Storyteller Award and the Cineaste Award celebrated film artists whose work furthered understanding between cultures and the Golden Chile Award was given for contribution to New Mexico's film industry.

In a letter dated May 6, 1995 Joshua Bryant states that the film festival "started as a project for the Taos Art Association that would broaden its scope and have the potential for raising money. It has since become something more." In 1996 there were 150 volunteers and 6 full time staff for the film festival, Media Mercado and Media Literacy Forum. The Festival staff's job was to encourage film producers to send in their work, select the films, with the help of the Taos community film juries, find a place to show them in Taos and get actors, producers and directors to come for the festival. The films selected were independent, features, shorts, experimental, animation, children's films, documentary films and videos from around the world. The festival allowed filmmakers and filmgoers to interact at receptions, seminars, workshops, panel discussions, the Media Mercado, Open Forum and Open Sheet screenings. These screenings were a showcase for emerging filmmakers. Anyone could show any film or video during a particular time just as long as they were present to answer questions from the audience.

In its fourth year, 2000, the Festival was named one of the top ten film festivals in the world. In 2001 the festival had 10,000 people in attendance with 1,700 entries of which 100 were selected to show. In 2002 it had a budget of $750,000. On November 18, 2003 the Taos Talking Pictures Festival filed for bankruptcy. In the spring of 2004 three new film festivals took place in Taos: Taos Vision Quest International Film Festival, Taos Film Festival of the Arts, and Taos Picture Show.

Sources: "Joshua Bryant introduces Taos Talking Picture Festival," It's a Wrap!, Feb. 1995-Apr. 1995, pp. 16-19; Domizalski, Dennis. "Three festivals rise out of Taos Talking Pictures' ashes." New Mexico Business Weekly, March 12-18, 2004.

Extent

8 boxes (6.46 cu. ft.) plus 1 oversize folder

Abstract

This collection contains administrative materials of Taos Talking Pictures, producers of media education programs and an annual film festival. Records include board and staff meeting minutes, financial records, photographs and correspondence. There are news clippings, articles, publicity, programs and other information on the Taos Talking Picture Festival and the Media Literacy Forum.

Arrangement of the Collection

Organized into three series: Administrative, Taos Talking Picture Festival and Media Literacy Forum. Records are arranged in the same basic order within each series and often using the same folder titles as used by the organization.

Related Archival Material

"Media - Film - Taos Talking Picture Festival," Vertical File, Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico.

Separated Material

Issues of the periodical,It's a Wrap! and the "Official Program of the Taos Talking Picture Festival" (1995-2001) have been transferred to CSWR book collection.

33 boxes of videos and DVD's shown at the film festival (1993-2001) are housed separately. A title listing can be found at the end of this finding aid.

Original tapes of two Digital Audio Tapes reformatted to Computer Discs are located in B3.
Title
Finding Aid of the Taos Talking Pictures Records, 1984-2003 (bulk 1993-2003)
Status
Approved
Author
Processed by T. S. Reinig
Date
©2005
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is in English

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451