Last Updated: 10/28/26

ALL SECRET CINEMA PRESENTATIONS ARE SHOWN IN 16mm (or larger!) FILM ON A GIANT SCREEN (NOT VIDEO...NOT EVER!)

Since 1992, the Secret Cinema has been the Philadelphia area’s premiere floating repertory cinema series, bringing hundreds of unique programs to nightclubs, bars, coffee houses, museums, open fields, colleges, art galleries, bookstores, and sometimes even theaters and film festivals. Drawing on its own large private film archive (as well as other collections), the Secret Cinema attempts to explore the uncharted territory and the genres that fall between the cracks, with programs devoted to educational and industrial films, cult and exploitation features, cartoons, rare television, local history, home movies, erotic films, politically incorrect material, and the odd Hollywood classic. As long as it exists on real celluloid, that is—Secret Cinema screenings never use video/digital projection. While mainly based in Philadelphia, the Secret Cinema has also brought programming to other cities and countries.

Old Films About Old Films About... (2026 Edition)

at Rotunda

Thursday, November 12, 2026
8:00 pm
Admission: FREE

The Rotunda
4014 Walnut Street
Philadelphia

On Thursday, November 12, the Secret Cinema will present yet another unique program of rare short subjects -- all of them concerned with filmmaking and film exhibition. Old Films About Old Films About... (2026 Edition) provides self-reflexive glimpses of the film industry, from a 63 year-old profile of a pioneering French director, to a nostalgic look at the golden age of the movie palace. This will be the Secret Cinema's last program of the year at the Rotunda.

While the Secret Cinema presented earlier Old Films About... programs (in 1999, 2011 and 2016), this 2026 edition will feature content never previously shown by us.

There will be one complete show at 8:00 pm. Admission is free (as are all programs in the Rotunda's monthly "Bright Bulb Screening Series").

A few highlights of Old Films About Old Films About... (2026 Edition) include:

Abel Gance, Yesterday and Today (1963, Dir: Nelly Kaplan) - Abel Gance is probably best known (thanks to the tireless efforts of historian/restorationist Kevin Brownlow) for his five-hour-plus silent epic Napoleon, which employed startling multi-screen projections. However, Gance directed several other important works, which are detailed in this well-informed documentary. Argentine-born director Kaplan moved to France when she was 21, where archivist Henri Langlois introduced her to Gance. Thus started a decade-long relationship as both Gance's professional assistant and mistress, before launching her own career as a feature film director and author. She died of Covid in 2020.

Memoirs of a Movie Palace (1980, Dir: Christian Blackwood) - This affectionate look back at the golden age of the Loews Kings Theatre in Brooklyn includes memories from former employees, including the theater's manager, projectionist, ushers, ticket sellers, popcorn vendors, and more. Seen also are Philadelphia-raised Arthur "the Street Singer" Tracy, lifelong silent film organist Lee Erwin, and former childhood patron (and renowned 16mm film collector!) Herb Graff…as well as generous views of the mammoth auditorium's lavish décor.

Frank and Ollie: Four Decades of Disney Animation (1978) - A warm tribute to Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, two of the "Nine Old Men" who served as Walt Disney's chief animators from the 1930s through the 1970s. After working on such key Disney features as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio and Fantasia, the two collaborated on several books about the art of animation. This short film, distributed to the educational film market, is not to be confused (but surely is) with the 1995 feature-length documentary Frank and Ollie, about the same artists.

…and more!

FUTURE SECRET CINEMA EVENTS (more info soon):