The Film & Media Archive is a nationally recognized center for scholarship, teaching, and learning. The Archive is committed to the preservation of documentary film and other media which chronicles America's great political and social movements with a particular emphasis on the African-American experience.
The collections of prominent filmmakers Henry Hampton (Eyes on the Prize) and William Miles (I Remember Harlem) include hundreds of hours of high quality programming and features a comprehensive and diverse array of primary interviews, photos, archival footage, and written documents that they gathered during the film production process. The value of these collections is inestimable, as is the potential for using them to help teachers, students, and scholars develop a better appreciation and understanding of the course of civil and social justice issues in the United States.
The Frank Marshal Davis Collection contains a 1987 interview, poetry readings, and photos and news clippings. The preservation and digitization of this interview was done in parternship with the Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR) at the University of Hawai'i - West O'ahu.
Other collections include the Insignia Collection, and the St. Louis Public School Film Collection.
New Online Catalog - MAVISweb
Introducing the new online search catalog for the Film and Media Archive. MAVISweb will allow users to search the Film and Media Archive's holdings online.
Welcome to MAVISweb, Washington University Film and Media Archive's online search engine.
Before you begin, remember:
- Contact us. If you haven't found it on MAVISweb, it may still exist. Cataloging is an ongoing process and new records, unveiling invaluable resources, are created daily.
- Our collections are largely comprised of materials gathered and generated during the documentary filmmaking process. These materials are unfamiliar to many, but have immense research potential and can usually be accommodated at our facilities. Learn more about the documentary filmmaking process and the collections.
- Schedule an appointment to ensure that you have our undivided attention. Our unique materials do not circulate and must be accessed in our reading room. Our reading room is open 8:30-5:00, Monday-Friday, and is located at the Washington University West Campus Library, 7425 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, MO 63105.
Ask us!
Not finding what you are looking for or not understanding what you've found? Don't hesitate to contact the Film and Media staff by calling 314-935-8679 or emailing wufilmarchives@wumail.wustl.edu. We are happy to assist you in your research!
New YouTube Channel
The Film and Media Archive has created a YouTube Channel. Videos will highlight different aspects of the Film Archive and the film production process.
The Film and Media Archive has created a new blog, Out of the Archive. Entries will cover news, activities, and information about materials in the Film Archive.
Henry Hampton Tribute Page
A page to celebrate the life and work of Henry Hampton. Each month the page will spotlight audio, video, or photos which exhibit some aspect of Hampton's work and genius.
New Online Digital Resource Available
All of the interviews from Eyes on the Prize I are available online with full text search capability. This project is part of Washington University's Digital Gateway and was produced by Digital Library Services and the Film and Media Archive.