Refn, Anderson join AGFA

The announcement comes as AGFA launches an Indiegogo fundraising campaign to support the non-profit’s mission to complete high resolution digital transfers of rare and endangered 35mm film prints.

“By any means necessary, we need to watch movies on film because that is why God created cinema,” said Refn. “The American Genre Film Archive has begun a mission to preserve what I consider the greatest art form God has given us.”

AGFA hopes to raise $15,000 by May 30 to restore its first digital restoration project: Craig Denny’s The Astrologer.

“There are a lot of ways that you can contribute to make this goal a reality, from just a few dollars to a significant contribution,” said AGFA board member and Alamo CEO and founder Tim League.

Founded in 2009, AGFA specialises in horror, sleaze, action, independent regional filmmaking and international genre cinema. The archive is home to over 3,200 film prints. 

“These films can be seen as frescos that are about to crumble off of walls without even having been documented,” said AGFA advisor and Austin Film Society programmer Lars Nilsen.

“This initiative will essentially photograph these frescos so they can be seen and shared. AGFA’s longer-term goal is to one day carefully restore and strike new 35mm prints of these films. But for now the main effort is to make sure they stay accessible for everyone and not just sitting on a shelf.”