Dawson City: Frozen Time

This meditation on cinema’s past from Decasia director Bill Morrison pieces together the bizarre true history of a long-lost collection of 533 nitrate film prints from... Read more

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Dawson City: Frozen Time

Directed by Bill Morrison

Year: 2017
Running Time: 120
Country: U.S.
Language: Engish
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Dawson City: Frozen Time

Crew
Directed by Bill Morrison
Writer Bill Morrison
Editor Bill Morrison
Cinematographer Bill Morrison
Produced by Madeleine Molyneaux and Bill Morrison
Composed by Alex Somers
Sound John Somers


This meditation on cinema’s past from Decasia director Bill Morrison pieces together the bizarre true history of a long-lost collection of 533 nitrate film prints from the early 1900s. Located just south of the Arctic Circle, Dawson City was settled in 1896 and became the center of the Canadian Gold Rush that brought 100,000 prospectors to the area. It was also the final stop for a distribution chain that sent prints and newsreels to the Yukon. The films were seldom, if ever, returned. The now-famous Dawson City Collection was uncovered in 1978 when a bulldozer working its way through a parking lot dug up a horde of film cans. Morrison draws on these permafrost-protected, rare silent films and newsreels, pairing them with archival footage, interviews, historical photographs, and an enigmatic score by Sigur Rós collaborator and composer Alex Somers. Dawson City: Frozen Time depicts the unique history of this Canadian Gold Rush town by chronicling the life cycle of a singular film collection through its exile, burial, rediscovery, and salvation.

Reviews

"Critic's Pick! An instantaneously recognizable masterpiece."

– Glenn Kenny, The New York Times

"Wondrous, almost indescribable. A complete astonishment from beginning to end."

– Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

"Critic's Pick! An orgy for film geeks and history jonesers."

– Michael Atkinson, Village Voice

"Bill Morrison's Dawson City: Frozen Time is the best new movie in town and the best movie of the year thus far."

– Tony Pipolo, Artforum

"A bona fide adventure through history, hopscotching across the turn of the 19th century."

– Nicolas Rapold, Film Comment

"Astonishing. A testament to the potential of art to weather and endure the ravages of time."

– Kenji Fujishima, Paste Magazine

"Morrison’s movies feel like half-remembered reveries formed from memories you can no longer consciously recall. Hovering at the intersection of reappropriation, preservation, history, music, and art, any one of his works will haunt you for the rest of your life. Dawson City: Frozen Time is no exception."

– Dan Schindel, Hyperallergic

"Four stars! A ghost story like you’ve never seen. Riveting, thoughtful and very emotional."

– Jordan Hoffman, AM New York


Awards

  • Best Documentary – Boston Society of Film Critics

  • Most Innovative Documentary – Critics' Choice Documentary Awards

  • Best Editing – International Documentary Association

  • On over 75 lists of the best films of 2017, including: New York Times, New Yorker, Los Angeles Times, Film Comment, Slate, Boston Globe, Washington Post, Chicago Reader, Indiewire, RogerEbert.com, Rotten Tomatoes, POV Magazine, and Slant!

Press Kit

Hi-Res Poster

Hi-Res Images

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Interested in bringing Dawson City: Frozen Time to your school or library? If you'd like to have an in-class viewing, on-campus screening, or purchase the DVD for your library's collection, please contact Estelle Grosso at EDU@kinolorber.com or call (212) 629-6880 with your request.

Dawson City: Frozen Time may also be available with Public Performance Rights (PPR) and Digital Site Licensing (DSL) for colleges and universities. To purchase the DVD with PPR or DSL, please contact Estelle Grosso at EDU@kinolorber.com or call (212) 629-6880. Click here to learn more at Kino Lorber Edu.

To read more about Kino Lorber Edu's terms of use and ordering information, visit Kino Lorber Edu.

Douglas Fairbanks in THE HALF BREED, one of hundreds of films that are part of the Dawson City Collection.
One of the many reels of the Dawson City Collection recovered in 1978. The story of this remarkable discovery is told in DAWSON CITY: FROZEN TIME.
First Avenue in Dawson City, 1898.
Mae Marsh in <i>Polly of the Circus</i> (1917), one of the films from the Dawson City collection.
The Trump family fortune can be traced back to Fred Trump's The Arctic Hotel and Restaurant (and brothel) in Dawson City.
Louise Lovely in THE SOCIAL BUCCANEER, one of hundreds of silent films buried beneath the permafrost of Dawson City and rediscovered decades later.
DAWSON CITY: FROZEN TIME director Bill Morrison.

PLAYDATES

Venue City Date
Pacific Film Archive Berkeley 1516510800January 21, 2018
TIFF Bell Lightbox Toronto 1511154000November 20, 2017
Key West Film Festival Key West 1510981200November 18, 2017
Museum of Modern Art New York 1510981200November 18, 2017
Athens Cine Athens 1510203600November 9, 2017
Dallas VideoFest Dallas 1509854400November 5, 2017
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Boston 150950880011/1, 11/5, 11/9, 11/10, 11/16, 11/24
Utah Film Center Salt Lake City 1509422400October 31, 2017
State Theatre of Modesto Modesto 1509076800October 27 - November 2, 2017
Art Gallery of Hamilton Hamilton 1508644800October 22, 2017
Dartmouth College (Hopkins Center) Hanover 1508472000October 20, 2017
Art Theatre Champaign 1508299200October 18, 2017
Speed Art Museum Louisville 1507867200October 13 - October 14, 2017
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Union Theatre) Milwaukee 1507867200October 13 - October 14, 2017
Bear Tooth Theatre Anchorage 1507521600October 9, 2017
Wisconsin Cinematheque Madison 1507348800October 7, 2017
Pickford Center Limelight Bellingham 1507262400October 6 - October 12, 2017
Cinecenta – University of Victoria Victoria 150683040010/1-10/2, 11/5-11/6
Michigan Theater Ann Arbor 1506657600September 29 - October 5, 2017
Cinematheque Quebecois Montreal 15066576009/29-10/4, 10/16-10/19
Railroad Square Cinema Waterville 1506484800September 27, 2017
PAC Film House St. Catharines 1506484800 09/27, 09/29, 10/01
Vancouver International Film Centre Vancouver 1506225600September 24, 2017
Honolulu Museum of Art Honolulu 15062256009/24, 10/3
Hollywood Theatre Portland 1506225600September 24, 2017
UC Riverside ARTSblock Riverside 1506052800September 22 - September 23, 2017
Screening Room Amherst 15060528009/22, 9/24, 9/25, 9/27
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Houston 15060528009/22, 9/24
Rose Theatre Port Townsend 1506052800September 22 - September 29, 2017
Flint Institute of Arts Flint 1505966400September 21 - September 23, 2017
The Music Hall Portsmouth 1505880000September 20, 2017
Dietrich Theatre Tunkhannock 15058800009/20, 9/26, 10/3  
National Gallery of Art Washington 1505620800September 17, 2017
Aperture Cinema Winston Salem 1505620800September 17, 2017
Miami Beach Cinematheque Miami Beach 1505448000September 15 - September 22, 2017
Gene Siskel Film Center Chicago 15054480009/15-16, 9/19-20
Northwest Film Center Portland 1505448000September 15 - September 16, 2017
International Film Series - Univ of Colorado, Boulder Boulder 1505275200September 13, 2017
Austin Film Society Austin 15050160009/10, 9/11, 9/13
Anchorage Museum Anchorage 1504670400September 6, 2017
All Saints Cinema/Tallahassee Film Society Tallahassee 15043248009/2-4, 9/10
Arena Cinelounge Los Angeles 1504238400September 1 - September 14, 2017
Cornell Cinema Ithaca 15042384009/1 & 9/5
Gateway Film Center Columbus 1504238400September 1 - September 7, 2017
Time & Space Limited Hudson 15041520008/31, 9/1-3, 9/9-10, 9/16-17
Hollywood Theatre Portland 1504065600August 30, 2017
Capitol Theatre - Olympia Olympia 15037200008/26-27, 8/28-31
Sonoma Film Institute Rohnert Park 15036336008/25, 8/27
Sie Film Center Denver 1503633600August 25 - August 31, 2017
Picturehouse Pelham 1503633600August 25 - August 31, 2017
Hollywood Theater - Dormont Pittsburgh 1503633600August 25 - August 29, 2017
Magic Lantern Theatre Spokane 1503633600August 25 - September 7, 2017
Phi Centre Montreal 15035472008/24, 8/26
Grand Cinema Tacoma Tacoma 1503374400August 22, 2017
Enzian Theatre Maitland 1503201600August 20, 2017
Sun-Ray Cinema Jacksonville 1503028800August 18 - August 24, 2017
Museum of the Moving Image Astoria 1503028800August 18 - August 20, 2017
Kingsway Toronto 1503028800August 18 - August 31, 2017
Space Gallery Portland 1502683200August 14, 2017
Screening Room - Kingston Kingston 15026832008/14, 8/16
Fox Theatre Toronto 15026832008/14, 8/16
The Moviehouse Millerton 1502424000August 11 - August 17, 2017
Belcourt Theatre Nashville 1502424000August 11 - August 17, 2017
Northwest Film Forum Seattle 1502424000August 11 - August 13, 2017
Rome Capitol Theater Rome 1502337600August 10 - August 14, 2017
The Bookshelf Guelph 1501905600August 5 - August 8, 2017
Palm Theatre San Luis Obispo 1501819200August 4 - August 24, 2017
Oklahoma City Museum of Art Oklahoma City 1501819200August 4 - August 6, 2017
Mayfair Ottawa 1501819200August 4 - August 15, 2017
Cleveland Cinematheque Cleveland 15017328008/3, 8/6
The Princess Waterloo 1501732800August 3 - August 6, 2017
Boedecker Theater @ Dairy Arts Center Boulder 1501646400August 2 - August 5, 2017
Alamo Drafthouse Yonkers Yonkers 1501646400August 2, 2017
Metro Cinema Edmonton 1501214400July 28 - August 3, 2017
Bytowne Cinema Ottawa 1501214400July 28 - August 1, 2017
Fredonia Opera House Fredonia 1501128000July 27, 2017
Revue Toronto 15008688007/24, 7/25, 7/27, 8/15-16
Vancouver International Film Centre Vancouver 1500609600July 21 - July 27, 2017
Parkway Theatre Baltimore 1500609600July 21 - July 27, 2017
Wexner Center for the Arts Columbus 1500609600July 21 - July 22, 2017
Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema Toronto 15006096007/21-7/27, 8/6, 8/9, 8/30
Roxie Theater San Francisco 1500004800July 14 - July 27, 2017
Cinema505 Montclair 1500004800July 14 - July 16, 2017
International House Philadelphia 1500004800July 14, 2017
Art Theatre of Long Beach Long Beach 1499918400July 13, 2017
Alamo Mason Park Katy 1499832000July 12, 2017
Laemmle Fine Arts Los Angeles 1499400000July 7 - July 20, 2017
Laemmle Claremont 5 Claremont 1498881600July 1 - July 16, 2017
Laemmle Noho 7 Los Angeles 1498795200June 30 - July 6, 2017
Laemmle Playhouse 7 Pasadena 1498795200June 30 - July 23, 2017
Parkway Theatre Baltimore 1498795200June 30 - July 6, 2017
Landmark Regent Los Angeles 1498190400June 23 - June 29, 2017
Laemmle Monica Film Center Los Angeles 1498190400June 23 - June 29, 2017
Los Feliz 3 Los Angeles 1498190400June 23 - June 29, 2017
Real Art Ways Hartford 1498190400June 23 - July 6, 2017
Landmark Nuart Theatre Los Angeles 1497585600June 16 - June 22, 2017
Media Arts Center San Diego / Digital Gym San Diego 1497585600June 16 - June 22, 2017
Gene Siskel Film Center Chicago 1497585600June 16 - June 21, 2017
IFC Center New York 1496980800June 9 - July 20, 2017


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