Martin L. Johnson
@martinlj.bsky.social
Film historian and urbanist. Co-president of Domitor, the international society for the study of early cinema. Coming attractions include A Teaching Companion to Silent Cinema (Rutgers) and a history of advertising film (Illinois).
Pinned
Please share, and let me know if you'd like to be added. go.bsky.app/77mummX
If you have any connection to the University of North Carolina system, please consider signing this petition. Making syllabi public records will damage the trust between faculty, students, and the communities they serve. actionnetwork.org/petitions/pr...
Protect Academic Freedom, Our Faculty, Our Communities
Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members: The UNC System is preparing to cave to political pressure from the Heritage Foundation, the Oversight Project, and the James Martin Center by ...
actionnetwork.org
December 11, 2025 at 6:33 PM
If you have any connection to the University of North Carolina system, please consider signing this petition. Making syllabi public records will damage the trust between faculty, students, and the communities they serve. actionnetwork.org/petitions/pr...
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
You don't want to miss Thursday's Forum On The Hill panels!
Today's topics are equity in healthcare, Chapel Hill and Carrboro's housing inventory, and Orange County property value assessments. Check out the schedule and guests here:
Today's topics are equity in healthcare, Chapel Hill and Carrboro's housing inventory, and Orange County property value assessments. Check out the schedule and guests here:
2025 Forum On The Hill: Thursday, Dec. 11's Community Conversations - Chapelboro.com
The 2025 Forum On The Hill is hosted by WCHL’s Aaron Keck, Brighton McConnell and Andrew Stuckey. Find the full schedule on Chapelboro, listen to 97.9 FM or stream the discussions live, and find each ...
chapelboro.com
December 11, 2025 at 4:39 PM
You don't want to miss Thursday's Forum On The Hill panels!
Today's topics are equity in healthcare, Chapel Hill and Carrboro's housing inventory, and Orange County property value assessments. Check out the schedule and guests here:
Today's topics are equity in healthcare, Chapel Hill and Carrboro's housing inventory, and Orange County property value assessments. Check out the schedule and guests here:
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
It's here! Go and pre-order a copy of ARCHIVING THE PAST for yourself and for your library! The book uncovers the story of women in France who, from the 1920s–1970s, played critical roles in the production of global cinema's history, as archivists, witnesses, and activists. @ucpress.bsky.social
December 11, 2025 at 2:41 PM
It's here! Go and pre-order a copy of ARCHIVING THE PAST for yourself and for your library! The book uncovers the story of women in France who, from the 1920s–1970s, played critical roles in the production of global cinema's history, as archivists, witnesses, and activists. @ucpress.bsky.social
A piece on Netflix and its discontents that's worth your time. www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/ess...
Casual Viewing | Will Tavlin
A decade before Airbnb persuaded homeowners to transform their homes into hotels, Netflix convinced its users to turn theirs into mini Netflix warehouses. Customers who held onto their DVDs for longer...
www.nplusonemag.com
December 9, 2025 at 9:16 PM
A piece on Netflix and its discontents that's worth your time. www.nplusonemag.com/issue-49/ess...
If you know film history, you know @orphanfilm.bsky.social, who has done more to rescue films and uplift filmmakers than almost anyone. For the last six months, he's been caught in a Kafkaesque nightmare that I wouldn't wish on anyone, and needs help recovering. Please donate. gofund.me/6ef186124
Donate to Help Dan & Maria Rebuild after Legal and Housing Ordeal, organized by Maria and Dan
We are Dan and Maria. The events that lead us to GoFundMe were … Maria and Dan needs your support for Help Dan & Maria Rebuild after Legal and Housing Ordeal
gofund.me
December 1, 2025 at 2:25 PM
If you know film history, you know @orphanfilm.bsky.social, who has done more to rescue films and uplift filmmakers than almost anyone. For the last six months, he's been caught in a Kafkaesque nightmare that I wouldn't wish on anyone, and needs help recovering. Please donate. gofund.me/6ef186124
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
Together with Annie van den Oever, I was honored to interview Jane Gaines for NECSUS. Come for the history of Visible Evidence & @wfpproject.bsky.social; stay for the reflections on speculative historiography, Fredric Jameson's legacy & current attacks on higher ed.
necsus-ejms.org/the-historic...
necsus-ejms.org/the-historic...
November 28, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Together with Annie van den Oever, I was honored to interview Jane Gaines for NECSUS. Come for the history of Visible Evidence & @wfpproject.bsky.social; stay for the reflections on speculative historiography, Fredric Jameson's legacy & current attacks on higher ed.
necsus-ejms.org/the-historic...
necsus-ejms.org/the-historic...
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
Now available online!
A CENTURY IN 16MM: THE REMAKING OF CINEMA (eds. Gregory A. Waller + Haidee Wasson) from @oxfordacademic.bsky.social. Featuring 23 essays on diverse uses and applications of the small gauge format worldwide!
Available in print in early 2026.
academic.oup.com/book/61621
A CENTURY IN 16MM: THE REMAKING OF CINEMA (eds. Gregory A. Waller + Haidee Wasson) from @oxfordacademic.bsky.social. Featuring 23 essays on diverse uses and applications of the small gauge format worldwide!
Available in print in early 2026.
academic.oup.com/book/61621
November 13, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Now available online!
A CENTURY IN 16MM: THE REMAKING OF CINEMA (eds. Gregory A. Waller + Haidee Wasson) from @oxfordacademic.bsky.social. Featuring 23 essays on diverse uses and applications of the small gauge format worldwide!
Available in print in early 2026.
academic.oup.com/book/61621
A CENTURY IN 16MM: THE REMAKING OF CINEMA (eds. Gregory A. Waller + Haidee Wasson) from @oxfordacademic.bsky.social. Featuring 23 essays on diverse uses and applications of the small gauge format worldwide!
Available in print in early 2026.
academic.oup.com/book/61621
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
RIP Peter Watkins. He leaves us just a day after his 90th birthday. A landmark filmmaker who still hasn't got his due. He reprogrammed my brain, there's cinema before and after Watkins. He didn't change the movies, he changed me. After La Commune and Edvard Munch all movies were different.
October 31, 2025 at 5:06 PM
RIP Peter Watkins. He leaves us just a day after his 90th birthday. A landmark filmmaker who still hasn't got his due. He reprogrammed my brain, there's cinema before and after Watkins. He didn't change the movies, he changed me. After La Commune and Edvard Munch all movies were different.
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
I find it v difficult to put into words how honored and lucky i feel to have edited this issue on feminist historical methods, to have had so many important pieces of writing and thinking entrusted to me over these last few years. 1/
online.ucpress.edu/fmh/issue/11/4
online.ucpress.edu/fmh/issue/11/4
Volume 11 Issue 4 | Feminist Media Histories | University of California Press
online.ucpress.edu
October 30, 2025 at 1:15 AM
I find it v difficult to put into words how honored and lucky i feel to have edited this issue on feminist historical methods, to have had so many important pieces of writing and thinking entrusted to me over these last few years. 1/
online.ucpress.edu/fmh/issue/11/4
online.ucpress.edu/fmh/issue/11/4
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
For nearly four decades, millions of students in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere watched such 10- to 30-minute academic films to learn about wide-ranging topics like volcanoes, Charles Dickens, and U.S. anti-discrimination laws. https://loom.ly/MZuHOIs
Academic Film Archive of North America finds a home at Johns Hopkins
The eclectic collection of more than 7,600 vintage 16 mm classroom films represents an unsung genre that offered engaging new ways to teach the tales of humankind
hub.jhu.edu
October 28, 2025 at 1:21 PM
For nearly four decades, millions of students in the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere watched such 10- to 30-minute academic films to learn about wide-ranging topics like volcanoes, Charles Dickens, and U.S. anti-discrimination laws. https://loom.ly/MZuHOIs
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
Hot off the press!! I was delighted to contribute this Blu-ray review of Wonder Dogs! to the new issue of FIAF's Journal of Film Preservation. 🐕🦺🎞💿 I'm usually a cat person, but couldn't resist the *siren bark* of these 23 dog-forward silent films w/ gorgeous music 🎶📀
www.calameo.com/fiaf/read/00...
www.calameo.com/fiaf/read/00...
October 21, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Hot off the press!! I was delighted to contribute this Blu-ray review of Wonder Dogs! to the new issue of FIAF's Journal of Film Preservation. 🐕🦺🎞💿 I'm usually a cat person, but couldn't resist the *siren bark* of these 23 dog-forward silent films w/ gorgeous music 🎶📀
www.calameo.com/fiaf/read/00...
www.calameo.com/fiaf/read/00...
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
CFP — “The Amateur Reconsidered: Media, Labor, Publics”
Spectator Special Issue (Volume 46.2 Fall 2026)
Essay submissions due December 1, 2025.
See images with alt text here and in thread for CFP details. 1/
Spectator Special Issue (Volume 46.2 Fall 2026)
Essay submissions due December 1, 2025.
See images with alt text here and in thread for CFP details. 1/
October 14, 2025 at 1:15 AM
CFP — “The Amateur Reconsidered: Media, Labor, Publics”
Spectator Special Issue (Volume 46.2 Fall 2026)
Essay submissions due December 1, 2025.
See images with alt text here and in thread for CFP details. 1/
Spectator Special Issue (Volume 46.2 Fall 2026)
Essay submissions due December 1, 2025.
See images with alt text here and in thread for CFP details. 1/
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
Research Assistant: Investigating Women’s Labor Migrations in the Early Film Industry disabroad.org/course/resea... @clarasilentfilms.bsky.social
Research Assistant: Investigating Women's Labor Migrations in the Early Film Industry
Before Hollywood's studio system emerged, the American film industry flourished on the East Coast, maintaining vibrant exchanges with European cinema. The silent era offered women surprisingly extensi...
disabroad.org
September 29, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Research Assistant: Investigating Women’s Labor Migrations in the Early Film Industry disabroad.org/course/resea... @clarasilentfilms.bsky.social
Computers putting college graduates out of work in ... checks date ... 1964.
September 26, 2025 at 12:44 AM
Computers putting college graduates out of work in ... checks date ... 1964.
Stormwater is a community problem that requires community solutions. We can address it, and still build more homes in Chapel Hill.
triangleblogblog.com/2025/09/24/w...
triangleblogblog.com/2025/09/24/w...
We can address stormwater while building more homes - Triangle Blog Blog
A group civics blog covering town council, education, transportation, and recreation in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC.
triangleblogblog.com
September 24, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Stormwater is a community problem that requires community solutions. We can address it, and still build more homes in Chapel Hill.
triangleblogblog.com/2025/09/24/w...
triangleblogblog.com/2025/09/24/w...
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
John Cassavettes and Gena Rowlands house is for sale. A time capsule. www.redfin.com/CA/Los-Angel...
7917 Woodrow Wilson Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90046 - 5 beds/5 baths
(TheMLS) For Sale: 5 beds, 5 baths ∙ 4305 sq. ft. ∙ 7917 Woodrow Wilson Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90046 ∙ $4,995,000 ∙ MLS# 25577301 ∙ On the market for the first time in over six decades, this soulful 5-be...
www.redfin.com
September 1, 2025 at 9:39 PM
John Cassavettes and Gena Rowlands house is for sale. A time capsule. www.redfin.com/CA/Los-Angel...
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
Dear Homerites, Please join us for a webinar from TAP (The Audience Project research group, Oxford Brookes University) on
Fri. 12 Sept. 2025 at 12-1pm: "The Enchanting Kinora: Researching Edwardian Audiences," by
Prof. Elizabeth Evans, University of Nottingham. Abstract & link in comments.
Fri. 12 Sept. 2025 at 12-1pm: "The Enchanting Kinora: Researching Edwardian Audiences," by
Prof. Elizabeth Evans, University of Nottingham. Abstract & link in comments.
September 1, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Dear Homerites, Please join us for a webinar from TAP (The Audience Project research group, Oxford Brookes University) on
Fri. 12 Sept. 2025 at 12-1pm: "The Enchanting Kinora: Researching Edwardian Audiences," by
Prof. Elizabeth Evans, University of Nottingham. Abstract & link in comments.
Fri. 12 Sept. 2025 at 12-1pm: "The Enchanting Kinora: Researching Edwardian Audiences," by
Prof. Elizabeth Evans, University of Nottingham. Abstract & link in comments.
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
CFP: Call for Proposals to present at the 2026 Orphan Film Symposium, "Crisis and Community,"
April 8-11, 2026, Wexner Center for the Arts, The Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio. wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2...
April 8-11, 2026, Wexner Center for the Arts, The Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio. wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2...
June 21, 2025 at 9:27 AM
CFP: Call for Proposals to present at the 2026 Orphan Film Symposium, "Crisis and Community,"
April 8-11, 2026, Wexner Center for the Arts, The Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio. wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2...
April 8-11, 2026, Wexner Center for the Arts, The Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio. wp.nyu.edu/orphanfilm/2...
My dog’s name is Bela!
August 17, 2025 at 6:17 PM
My dog’s name is Bela!
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
very much saddened to learn that bucknell university press will be closing. they took a chance on my first book when other presses said it was too short or too narrowly focused on minor authors.
www.chronicle.com/blogs/letter...
www.chronicle.com/blogs/letter...
Letter | Bucknell University Press to Close
This should alarm university presses nationwide, writes Aníbal González-Pérez.
www.chronicle.com
August 17, 2025 at 12:47 AM
very much saddened to learn that bucknell university press will be closing. they took a chance on my first book when other presses said it was too short or too narrowly focused on minor authors.
www.chronicle.com/blogs/letter...
www.chronicle.com/blogs/letter...
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
Delighted to have interviewed with WBUR's Meghna Chakrabarti "On Point." First half discusses the historical intricacies of the US public media ecosystem. Second half I tried to detail how the GOP rescission bill was designed to attack democratic media.
Can public media survive?
The U.S. Congress cut federal funding for public media, shuttering the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What does that mean for the future of local news across the country?
www.wbur.org
August 13, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Delighted to have interviewed with WBUR's Meghna Chakrabarti "On Point." First half discusses the historical intricacies of the US public media ecosystem. Second half I tried to detail how the GOP rescission bill was designed to attack democratic media.
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
Chapel Hill is getting denser, as anyone who has driven around the town can attest to. That is a good thing, given our need for more housing and the constraints imposed by a nearly built-out town and the rural buffer.
Chapel Hill Has Densified from the Outside In: Why That’s a Concern - Triangle Blog Blog
A group civics blog covering town council, education, transportation, and recreation in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC.
triangleblogblog.com
August 13, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Chapel Hill is getting denser, as anyone who has driven around the town can attest to. That is a good thing, given our need for more housing and the constraints imposed by a nearly built-out town and the rural buffer.
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
Good news, my #SilentFilm friends!!! Bonn Stummfilmtage is globally streaming daily screenings with original music! Today's selection is FORGOTTEN FACES (1928) -- w/ accompaniment by the always brilliant @megmorley.bsky.social 🎶😍🎞️
stummfilmtage.culturebase.org#video-anchor
stummfilmtage.culturebase.org#video-anchor
August 10, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Good news, my #SilentFilm friends!!! Bonn Stummfilmtage is globally streaming daily screenings with original music! Today's selection is FORGOTTEN FACES (1928) -- w/ accompaniment by the always brilliant @megmorley.bsky.social 🎶😍🎞️
stummfilmtage.culturebase.org#video-anchor
stummfilmtage.culturebase.org#video-anchor
Reposted by Martin L. Johnson
Check out this list of 2025 National Film Preservation Fund grant recipients! Home movies, amateur films, travelogues, 'useful' media, and more. A treasure trove of #nontheatricalmedia! 🤩
@orphanfilm.bsky.social @amianet.bsky.social
@orphanfilm.bsky.social @amianet.bsky.social
Congratulations to the 2025 NFPF grant recipients!
https://loom.ly/C4q1Scs
https://loom.ly/C4q1Scs
National Film Preservation Foundation: 2025 Federal Grant Winners
www.filmpreservation.org
August 8, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Check out this list of 2025 National Film Preservation Fund grant recipients! Home movies, amateur films, travelogues, 'useful' media, and more. A treasure trove of #nontheatricalmedia! 🤩
@orphanfilm.bsky.social @amianet.bsky.social
@orphanfilm.bsky.social @amianet.bsky.social