The University of South Carolina's "Orphans of the Storm" film symposium has become an important gathering place for people engaged in the preservation, study and use of motion pictures. With its impressive collection of archival footage, the University is a natural host for this activity. The recognition that the world's archives need to protect "orphan films" has become one of the most challenging aspects of film preservation. How can orphan films be saved, screened, studied and creatively used? The beauty of the orphan metaphor is that it embraces a wide array of neglected genres: newsreels, outtakes, home movies, kinescopes, trailers, silent film, stock footage, industrials, the avant garde, independent documentary and many other types of ephemeral film. All of these are part of our social and cinematic history.

These unique symposia bring together an eclectic mix of professionals and enthusiasts who share a common concern but who have no other regular meeting ground. "Orphans of the Storm" assembles an international group of archivists, scholars, curators, collectors, programmers, and filmmakers who work with orphaned material. Rare moving images from the past are screened alongside new films by artists and documentarians. Participants discuss their latest research and discoveries. As cinema enters a new digital era, the millions of feet of film that represent our record of the 20th century stand in need of rescue and rediscovery. The majority of this footage consists of a diverse group of orphan films. Only the collaboration of an equally diverse set of critical minds working in film and video will allow us to realize the value of these amazing images and sounds.

As president of The Film Foundation, I urge everyone with an interest in this project to support the University of South Carolina's film symposia and to participate in "Orphans of the Storm." This academic-archival collaboration will help ensure the survival of our collective film heritage and generate greater awareness of the need to preserve motion picture history.