The Nitrate Picture Show

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The Nitrate Picture Show

A Festival of Film Conservation to showcase vintage 35mm nitrate prints at the historic

The Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum is the home for this one-of-a-kind festival of film conservation.

05/29/2026

Collection Manager Deborah Stoiber and Associate Collection Manager Kirk McDowell rehearse for live gramophone accompaniment during the 10th Nitrate Picture Show.

Classic 78 rpm records will be played live on an antique Victor Talking Machine Co. Model VIC-1 phonograph, commonly called a gramophone, alongside a vintage nitrate print.

But what film will they be accompanying? Find out when titles are announced on Thursday, June 4!

Our thanks to the Antique Wireless Association Communication Technologies Museum for making this first-of-its-kind screening possible through the loan of this remarkable, well-preserved, and fully functional piece of antique sound technology.

05/28/2026

Only one week until the curtain rises on the 10th Nitrate Picture Show! Our final waitlist offers will be going out in the next few days. If you are not able to secure a pass to all screenings, we encourage interested attendees to check our webpage for the film schedule next Thursday, then come to the box office for single tickets before each showtime. These will be sold based on seating availability once all passholders have been seated. Purchasing is not guaranteed.

If you have already purchased a pass and cannot make it to the festival this year, please contact us via phone or email by May 29 and we will process your refund and make room for someone off the waitlist!

These are once-in-a-lifetime screenings, and we do not want to leave a single vacant seat if we can help it!

📸 Publicity still for ON WITH THE SHOW (1929), Eastman Museum, Stills, Posters, and Paper Collections.

05/08/2026

Your first glimpse of a film from the 10th Nitrate Picture Show! 📽️

Unlike previous years, we won’t be revealing the Nitrate Picture Show's opening night film in advance. The title will be announced with the rest of this year’s lineup during our program reveal press conference on the morning of Thursday, June 4.

In the meantime, here’s a frame from the vintage nitrate print we'll be screening to give you an idea of what the film might be. Share your guesses in the comments!

Our opening night film shown here begins 7:30 p.m. on June 4, 2026. We’re excited to raise the curtain on the festival in less than one month! 🧳

05/07/2026

New this year: Nitrate Picture Show Movie Trivia!

Join Rochester Cocktail Revival, George Eastman Museum, and MovieJawn at Radio Social for Nitrate Picture Show Movie Trivia, closing out opening night of the 10th Nitrate Picture Show (Thursday June 4, 2026).

Come solo or with friends and get grouped into teams of 6–10 for three lively rounds of movie trivia covering film history, iconic actors, and even beloved big-screen snacks. Sip themed craft cocktails, enjoy some friendly competition, and see which team claims the spotlight.

Nitrate Picture Show Movie Trivia is free to attend for both passholders and non-passholders, but spots are limited.

🔗 RSVP now: https://theticketing.co/e/rcr13-nitrate-picture?utm_source=Constant+Contact&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=May+2026_NPS+Trivia+Night

Please note: RSVPing does not guarantee entry. Begin assembling your team anytime after 9:30 p.m.; trivia begins at 10 p.m. 21+ only. Sponsored by Suntory.

05/01/2026

What happens to scenes that were cut from films, particularly in the eras before home media, the internet, or digital storage? If they survive, and were preserved, we might be able to see them in DVD special features or online. Otherwise, a photograph shot by the still photographer might be the only visual evidence left of the scene.

Thanks to the preservation of stills in our Moving Image Collection, many such cut scenes are well documented with still photographs.

📸 Production still of Paul Henreid and Bette Davis in the only surviving image of a scene cut from NOW, VOYAGER (1942), Eastman Museum, Stills, Posters, and Paper Collections.

04/28/2026

We're excited to announce a special event screening at the Nitrate Picture Show: the world premiere of the standalone film DARKER, presented in person by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Bill Morrison.

Created in collaboration with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang, DARKER is the latest work in a long-running artistic partnership between Lang and Morrison.

Originally conceived as a live film and music performance, DARKER will be presented at the Nitrate Picture Show as its world premiere as a standalone film.

📅 Thursday June 4
⏰ 2:00 p.m.
📍Dryden Theatre

Free to all Nitrate Picture Show passholders. No registration required.

Single tickets for non-passholders will be sold at the Dryden Theatre Box Office immediately prior to the event on a standby line basis, pending availability. 🎟️

04/12/2026

Today we celebrate Ann Miller on what would have been her 103rd birthday. A dazzling dancer, singer, and actress, Miller is best remembered for performances in STAGE DOOR (1937), YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU (1938), EASTER PARADE (1948), ON THE TOWN (1949), and, much later, MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001). Miller remained one of the great tap-dancing stars of Hollywood musicals and a vivid performer across more than six decades on screen and stage.

📸 Eastman Museum, Stills, Posters, and Paper Collections.

04/10/2026

We’re excited to share a special presentation at the Nitrate Picture Show—Reanimating History: Preserving the Library of Congress’ Paper Print Collection! 🎞️

Presented by Erin Palombi, Moving Image Archives Technician at the Library of Congress’s National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, this presentation explores how the collection began and the ongoing work to transform these paper artifacts back into viewable motion pictures. The session is co-authored with Meghan Holly (NAVCC).

📅 Date: Thursday June 4
⏰ Time: 11:30a.m.
📍 Location: 7Crest Financial Partners Hall

The presentation is free and limited to Nitrate Picture Show passholders. Pre-registration is required, and space is limited to 70 guests.

Register: https://1618a.blackbaudhosting.com/1618a/Reanimating-History-Preserving-the-Library-of-Congress-Paper-Print-Collection?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=NPS_Reanimating+History+Registration

📸 Photos courtesy of Library of Congress

04/05/2026

Happy Easter from the Nitrate Picture Show! We’re celebrating with Anita Stewart and some very fitting springtime company.

One of the early stars of silent cinema, Stewart was both an actress and producer who rose to prominence in the 1910s and became one of the most recognizable faces of the era.

📸 Eastman Museum, Stills, Posters, and Paper Collections.

03/27/2026

As we prepare for this year’s Nitrate Picture Show, we want to recognize the hard work of our projection team. Their expertise and constant attention to safety are essential to every screening, especially when working with vintage nitrate film, where things could go wrong very quickly without the right knowledge and care.

You can see their skill in action June 4-7 at the Nitrate Picture Show, where the success of every show depends on the folks in the booth!

📸 Publicity still for THIS WAY OUT (1923) with Lige Conley and Mack Swain, Eastman Museum, Stills, Posters, and Paper Collections.

Address

900 East Avenue
Rochester, NY
14607

Website

https://www.eastman.org/nitrate-picture-show

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