74. Memorandum From the Assistant Director, Near East and South Asia, United States Information Agency (Carter) to the Assistant Director, Motion Pictures and Television Service (Herschensohn)1
On my last extensive trip to the area, I ran into repeated requests from our posts for a greater input of films to be used both as a representative American art-form and an art-form that has particular appeal to young intellectuals.
It seems to me that the success of our Experimental Film Program last year speaks for itself. However, at least three of the posts, which had it would like to see it repeated on an annual basis (with different films of course). Still other posts, which didn’t get the Experimental Film Package, want something similar.
I wonder if IMV could explore at least two possibilities for IAN in the very near future. First, could we ask Willard Van Dyke of the Museum of Modern Art to undertake putting together a selection of [Page 163] experimental films annually? We might be able to provide a consultant’s fee for this and, of course, we would pay for the prints. If other areas are interested, we could involve ourselves to a bigger project at less cost per area.
A second source is suggested by the attached clipping.2 Is it possible for us to latch onto the 25 films involved in the National Student Film Festival?3 Or is the level of film making involved here less than we would want? If so, is there some way that the American Film Institute could pull together (for a fee) a higher level of experimental films?
Obviously, all of our posts would also welcome contemporary Hollywood film classics on a continuing basis, even more than they get now, but I quite understand the problems involved. That’s one of the reasons we’d like you to explore for us relatively inexpensive sources of the film productions of the better young film makers in the United States. I cannot emphasize for you sufficiently the appeal such films have for our target audiences. It’s something of a phenomenon which we must put to our use.
- Source: National Archives, RG 306, Director’s Subject Files, 1968–1972, Entry A1–42, Box 10, Field—General 1970. No classification marking. Printed from an uninitialed copy. Reinhardt sent a copy of the memorandum to Loomis, Weathersby, Posner, Mosley, Gammon, Oleksiw, Copmann, Alan Carter, and Jenkins under a March 4 covering memorandum in advance of the March 4 area directors’ meeting. (Ibid.)↩
- Not found attached.↩
- Co-sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and the National Student Association (NSA).↩