Still from A is for Atom, 1953. Courtesy of Prelinger Archives.

AV Festival 10 is delighted to welcome archivist Rick Prelinger to the Tyneside Cinema as our special guest, to introduce a selection of short films on the theme of energy from his groundbreaking archive. The US Prelinger Archives is one of the world's largest collections of public information, industrial, educational, advertising and amateur films. Committed to open access nearly 2,000 of the films are available to download for free via the Internet Archive, and have been creatively used by artists and filmmakers. Dating from 1927 to 1987 Prelinger Archive includes films across the energy spectrum ranging from the oil, electrical, coal and nuclear industries, through to examples of human energy and natural disasters.

The evening will include the following films personally introduced by Rick Prelinger:

A is for Atom, John Sutherland Productions for General Electric, 1953: Animated classic presenting what an atom is and how energy is released.

Destination Earth, John Sutherland Productions for American Petroleum Institute, 1956: Cartoon where Martian dissidents learn that oil and competition are the two things that make America great.

Down the Gasoline Trail, Jam Handy Organization for Chevrolet Motor Company, 1936: Cartoon showing the fantastic voyage of a drop of gasoline through a Chevrolet engine.

£7/£6 cons. Including complimentary glass of wine on arrival. FREE to Recycled Film Symposium delegates (booking required email reservations@avfestival.co.uk to reserve your place)