Ainsworth film fest returns Friday, Saturday

AINSWORTH — The 26th annual screening of curated items from the historical Brinton Film Collection will start at 7 p.m. on July 28 and 29 at the Ainsworth Opera House.

As always, the event will be narrated by local historian Michael Zahs, who discovered the relics of early entertainment in a basement in the early ‘80s. It has since attracted worldwide attention as one of the oldest moving picture collections known to exist, all produced between 1895 and 1908.

Last year’s show debuted a handful of audio recordings on wax cylinders from the early 1890s, which Zahs previously lacked the technology to play without damaging the archaic devices.

This year, he said he had matched up some of those recordings with otherwise silent moving pictures from the collection.

“These hand-painted magic lantern slides were originally set to music, and we now have the music,” Zahs said. “There’s an assortment, and the slides go with them, and nobody else has that.”

While Zahs has previously shown some Brinton Collection films with live music accompaniment, the synchronized recordings at this weekend’s show will present them in a combined audiovisual format not seen by audiences in roughly the last century.

A flyer for the event calls it “a unique experience you can have nowhere else, a joyous leap back in time,” and advertises ice cream provided by Ainsworth Dairy Mart. Admission comes with a freewill donation to support the opera house.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com