Located at California State University Northridge (Manzanita Hall), this exhibition space is the only permanent university gallery in the United States devoted to the motion picture poster. Pieces from this collection have been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the New York City Public Library, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
According to CSUN Cinematheque’s Web site:
“The decades from 1910 through 1950 witnessed the ascendance and triumph of the big studio movie-making system. The filmic myths were created in California. During these years, Hollywood’s myth-making machinery rumbled merrily, and America went movie mad. The engine of the machine was the studios’ advertising and publicity departments, because, prior to television, posters were the primary method of movie advertising. Fueled by stiff competition for patrons’ hard-earned nickels, posters displayed exaggerated virtues and situations sometimes more interesting than the film itself. In promoting the films, the posters created spectacular and sensational myths on paper; these posters preserve small bits of California’s mythic history. All poster exhibitions are supplemented by a substantial publication effort, which includes—in addition to generous wall text—detailed catalogues of reproductions, poster design notes, historical commentaries, and copious cultural cross-references. Conceived to be an essential component of the university experience, the CSUN Cinematheque Gallery is consciously designed to reinforce and enrich the academic curriculum of the Cinema and Television Arts Department.”
Hours:
Main Gallery, Monday through Friday, 8 AM - 10 PM
Call (818) 677-3193 to arrange a tour.
Campus parking is $4. Courtesy campus parking for the media is available by appointment.
The sizzling sounds and sexy moves of Salsa dancing are spicing up LA nights in the San Fernando Valley. Throughout the Valley, devotees are moving their hips to the Latin-Caribbean beats both in studio classes and on the club circuit. 
