About Us
NSSFM Mission: To collect, preserve, and display artifacts, documents and histories associated with Florida's role in the development of the film industry with particular emphasis on Northeast Florida; to promote interest in and enjoyment of silent and early films and their histories; and to facilitate the growth of the motion picture industry via educational programs and materials.
The Norman Studios Silent Film Museum, Inc. is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization formed in 2007 to protect and preserve the history of silent film and to relate the African-American experience and the role of filmmaker Richard Norman in the early days of the movie industry. It began when a group of passionate preservationists, Old Arlington, Inc., recognized the historical significance of five wooden buildings in the Old Arlington area of Jacksonville, Florida, as possibly the only remaining intact silent film studio complex in America. Norman was one of the first to produce "race films," starring black actors in positive, nonstereotypical roles. The site includes the Production Building, Generator Shed, Wardrobe Cottage, Prop Storage Garage, and Set Building.
NSSFM's goal is to restore the Norman property and use it as a silent film museum and training center for new generations of filmmakers. Activities will include school outreach and field trips, workshops and summer camps, plus an array of independent film screenings and other events inspired by the property's history as a silent film studio.
Click here to see a detailed progress report on the NSSFM's efforts to restore and reopen the Norman Studios property.
Want to play a supporting role? Click here to make a tax-deductible contribution to the Norman Studios Silent Film Museum.
Top Photo: Production building / Norman family home, copyright Norman Studios Silent Film Museum, Inc.
Bottom Image: Title frame from The Flying Ace, courtesy Florida State Library & Archives.
