NFPF News

Register for a 2026 NFPF Grant by March 20

The National Film Preservation Foundation invites applications for the federally funded grants program to support the preservation of historically and culturally significant American films. Grants are open to nonprofit and public institutions in the United States that provide public access to their film collections. The deadline to register for a Basic Preservation Grant or Matching Grant is Friday, March 20. Eligible projects will be invited to submit a complete proposal by Friday, April 24.

Basic Preservation Grants range from $1,000 to $20,000 to fund laboratory work to create preservation masters and access copies.

Matching Grants help experienced institutions undertake larger-scale projects. Awards range between $20,001 and $75,000 to fund laboratory work. Organizations must “match” the NFPF grant with cash support equal to one-fifth of the award. Only institutions that … Read more

New National Film Registry Films Online! Watch "The Oath of the Sword" and "The Maid of McMillan"

Masao and Hisa gaze across the ocean that will separate them in The Oath of the Sword (1914)

Today the Library of Congress announced the latest additions to the National Film Registry. Two of those films were preserved through NFPF grants and can be viewed for free on the NFPF’s website. They are: The Oath of the Sword, a three-reel drama produced by the Japanese American Film Company in 1914, which makes it the earliest surviving film made by Asian Americans; and The Maid of McMillan, the earliest known student film, shot in 1916 on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. Both are presented with notes and musical accompaniment.

The Japanese American Film Company, which produced The Oath of the Sword, was formed in Los Angeles, and according to trade press was “the first company in America to be owned, controlled … Read more

Happy Holidays! Now Streaming the Search for Santa in "It Was Just Like Christmas," Plus One More Amateur Gem

Santa is front and center in It Was Just Like Christmas (1948)...

To celebrate the holidays, we’re sharing two Christmas-themed amateur shorts preserved by Northeast Historic Film through NFPF grants.

It Was Just Like Christmas (1948) follows a 5-year-old girl’s search for Santa Claus, while Sweeter by the Dozen (ca. 1950) depicts a day in the life of the second graders at the Westlake School in Los Angeles. Both films were created by Herbert F. Sturdy and feature his young daughter Sally.

Mr. Sturdy was a prominent attorney for the firm Gibson, Dunn, & Crutcher, and his clients included Walt Disney, whose will he executed. But according to Sturdy's daughter, filmmaking was “his gift, his talent, his great joy.” He shot 47,368 feet of 16mm film between 1929 and 1968, primarily consisting of home movies, usually … Read more

The NFPF Needs Your Help

Joan Crawford fundraises for a Texas clinic that cared for children with polio in this 1952 teaser, preserved by George Eastman Museum through a 2025 NFPF grant.

As 2025 comes to a close, the National Film Preservation Foundation needs your support. Since its founding nearly 30 years ago the NFPF has worked to save America’s film heritage and make it available to new audiences. More than 2,950 films have been preserved by 343 organizations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. More than 350 films are available to stream for free on the NFPF website.

Please consider donating to the NFPF’s year-end 2025 fundraising appeal.

The NFPF is dedicated to saving “orphan” films with no corporate home that would not survive without public support. Silent films by John Ford, Lois Weber, Ernst Lubitsch, and Tod Browning; mid-century gems by Charles and Ray Eames, … Read more

2025 Avant-Garde Masters Grants to Preserve Seventeen Films

Better Be Careful (1986) by Heather McAdams

The National Film Preservation Foundation and The Film Foundation are pleased to announce the 2025 Avant-Garde Masters Grants. Works by Heather McAdams, Kathleen Laughlin, and Michael Mideke will be preserved and made accessible with generous funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. 

The Chicago Film Society will continue its efforts to preserve the work of Chicago-based alternative cartoonist and filmmaker Heather McAdams, with eight titles slated for restoration. Known for her playful use of found footage and recontextualized sound, this selection represents a vibrant cross-section of McAdams’s body of work—highlighting her humor, inventive use of media, and distinctive filmmaking techniques. From early Super 8 student films like The Dream (1978) and Dr. Loomis (1978) to Jay Elvis (1991), an eccentric portrait of an Elvis … Read more