TCM Welcomes Jacqueline Stewart as New Host of Silent Sunday Nights
Film Professor and Archivist to Host Every Sunday Evening Beginning September 15
Author, archivist and film professor Jacqueline Stewart will join Turner Classic Movies (TCM) as the host of Silent Sunday Nights, where she will introduce films and provide historical context for the franchise. Stewart is a professor in the Department of Cinema and Media Studies at the University of Chicago, specializing in the history of African American cinema from the silent era to present. A passionate film archivist and advocate for film preservation, she is a three-term appointee to the National Film Preservation Board (NFPB), which advises the Librarian of Congress on film preservation policy, and is the Chair of the NFPB Diversity Task Force working to ensure the films chosen for the National Film Registry reflect diversity and inclusion.
Silent Sunday Nights has been a fixture on TCM from the very beginning, when Buster Keaton’s The Cameraman aired on April 17, 1994. Silent Sunday Nights offers iconic movies from the silent era as well as forgotten gems and international classics. Spanning from the work of director Oscar Micheaux to pioneer Mabel Normand, and actor Douglas Fairbanks to filmmaker Robert Flaherty, Silent Sunday Nights includes both feature films and silent shorts.
“Jacqueline is sharp, lively, and has an illuminating depth of information. We felt we could really elevate Silent Sunday Nights into a larger franchise for TCM – with the right person on board – and she was the perfect fit,” said Pola Changnon, senior vice president of marketing, studio production and talent for TCM. “Her knowledge of the silent era and the way she weaves a beautiful narrative about this genre of film will surely entertain viewers while also allowing them a front seat to their own personal film class with her as their teacher.”
The selections for Silent Sunday Nights in September represent vital works by acclaimed directors, including:
- Sept. 15: Two Arabian Knights (1927) – a comedy adventure in which two soldiers escape from a German prison camp only to fall for an Arabian beauty, this is an early film by director Lewis Milestone who went on to be remembered for classics such as All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) and Ocean’s 11 (1962)
- Sept. 22: The Racket (1928) – another Lewis Milestone film about a police captain determined to bring down a mob boss, which reveals Milestone’s ability to handle a variety of genres with technical proficiency
- Sept. 29: Cleopatra (1912) – starring acclaimed stage actress Helen Gardner, who was the first actor to establish her own production company. This was one of the first feature films made in the United States and the storyline focuses on the Egyptian queen’s torrid affair with Marc Antony.
For more information, please visit http://myt.cm/SilentSunday.