The Adam K. Beckett Project
| Adam K. Beckett b. 1950, Los Angeles, CA d. 1979, Val Verde, CA Biography Filmography Screenings Film Screening and PanelInfinite Animation: The Work of Adam Beckett |
| Adam Beckett left an indelible mark on the world of animation and experimental filmmaking during his brief but noteworthy career. To ensure Beckett’s legacy, the iotaCenter has initiated the Adam Beckett Project to preserve his films and to support research on his life’s work. |
 Ever since Adam Beckett’s family placed his film material on deposit with iota in 2004, Mark Toscano and Amy Sloper of The Academy Film Archive (left) have been inventorying and inspecting the collection, and preparing the films for preservation.In April 2006, iota was awarded a preservation grant by the NFPF for five of the titles and the lab work began. |
 At the same time, Pamela Turner, associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts, continued her biographical research on Beckett, interviewing everyone she could locate who knew him, including his mother, Julianne Gilliam (left). Turner has also examined hundreds of Beckett’s surviving sketches, prints, and drawings as she continues to document Beckett’s career.
All of this effort culminated in a retrospective of Beckett’s work at The National Gallery of Art on August 26th, 2006. Professor Turner introduced the program and presented some of the images she had unearthed from her years of research. This retrospective screened in Los Angeles for the first time on Sunday, October 8th, 2006, at the REDCAT as part of a series of highlights from MoMA’sTomorrowland show. Ms. Turner again introduced the program. Since LA is Beckett’s hometown and home to Calarts, many of his friends and family members were in attendance. |
 As of September 2006, the National Film Preservation Fund has awarded iota a grant for the preservation of two more Beckett film titles, Early Animations or Quacked Jokes and Dear Janice. Additionally, Beckett’s Family has converted their deposit of his material into a donation to the iota archive. This will insure their continued protection and availability, ultimately enabling a release of the work on DVD. |