Periscope Film

Just premiered a video showing how we rescued an enormous motion picture film collection from destruction last year. @AMIAnet @internetarchive @footage youtube.com/watch?v=yhJIIh…

Tell the publishers to stop blocking @waybackmachine 🚫🕳️ savethearchive.com/newsleaders/

Most of the time we get vintage 16mm films delivered to us one at a time by the post office … but today was different!

Coming up on Friday on our YouTube channel, an exciting film from Harnischfeger Corporation aka P&H, all about steel erection. Let's just say... steel erection is very hard!

Back in January, a fan named Brian Van Ocker sent us a mystery 16mm home movie containing footage of a road race. After scanning it, we were able to determine that it shows racing at Watkins Glen @WGI, with the track in an early configuration (1950s). Brian shared the scan with a WG historian, and we've tried to research it, but so far we've not been able to come up with a precise date for this race. There are many clues, including car types and numbers. Perhaps you can figure it out? Also thanks to Brian for sharing this incredible film with us!! youtu.be/QBEoLh8SKZ8

Motion picture film can be remarkably resilient. Case in point: this reel of 16mm is badly rusted out, but the film itself -- a super rare episode of an early TV show called "Richfield's Success Story" -- looks pretty much the same as when it aired in the 1952.

Giggle for today ... check out this "Effen Products" 16mm film can. Hey jerko, stick your Effen film in your Effen can! (Question: were the folks at Effen Products in on the joke ... or was most of Brooklyn laughing at them behind their backs?!)

Read the full study from Sawood Alam @ibnesayeed here: blog.archive.org/2026/04/23/gon…

This is super cool -- we just got an email from Christopher P. who writes: The bus operator that appears throughout your film 'The Operator and Safety'(youtu.be/2JHjcg9Eovg?si…) -- is my grandfather, William Rechner. This is Philadelphia and the transportation company is Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC). As you can imagine, this film has incredible meaning to me. I am still in disbelief seeing this. Thank you, Christopher P."

@TeamYouTube our friends at @AVGeeks channel still have not regained access. We believe you are working on this but just wanted to vouch for the channel. @AVGeeks is an important part of the @YouTube community used by people all over the world.

Seems like every few months, someone spots one of their relatives in one of our films. Don't get us wrong -- this never, ever, gets old!! (Link to original film: youtu.be/QezZrHwiB4A)

@MrsEphemera @librarycongress Yes scanned in 4k — !

@Periscope_Film_ @librarycongress Have you already digitized it?

Donating some rare 35mm prints to the Library of Congress for long term preservation. These include early footage of experimental nitrogen deep sea dives made by Col. John D. Craig and spectacular footage of pioneering U.S. Navy aircraft carriers. @librarycongress

Check out #Netflix's new documentary about investigative journalist Seymour Hirsch, whose storied career includes blowing the lid off the My Lai massacre, the CIA's Jennifer Project, and the Abu Ghraib scandal. Directed by Mark Obenhaus ("Steep") and Laura Poitras ("Citizenfour"), this is a fascinating look at Hirsch's methods and motivations. And — look closely and you'll see some footage from the Periscope Film archive on screen. netflix.com/title/82145211

@frez777 Thanks that is great to hear! You can go behind the scenes with us at Patreon.com/Periscopefilm

@Periscope_Film_ I watch your stuff all the time and tell everyone about it!!! It’s a Time Machine!!!!

As we process films for scanning, we find a lot of improvised splices — like this one made decades ago with paper tape. We’ve also seen Scotch tape, duct tape and even staples!

As @ImtiazMadmood just noted, Saudi Arabia has activated the East West Petroline. This rare 1980s film shows the construction of this 1200km pipeline, which runs all the way across the Arabian Peninsula. It allows a complete bypassing of the Straights of #Hormuz. youtu.be/ToR_0J4jkuM #IranWar‌

Thanks to @BoingBoing for posting about "Basic Principles of Frequency Modulation" -- a WWII film guide to all things FM. Read it at: boingboing.net/2026/03/02/the…

@frankshort1973 we’ve been hoping you will contact us via our website PeriscopeFilm.com