Bonus screening: 'Billy and His Pal' (1911)

Right before the screening of Wings, the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) and the Office of the Governor's Texas Film Commission (TFC) will screen a newly preserved version of Billy and His Pal, a 1911 short filmed in San Antonio. The film was recently rediscovered in New Zealand and hasn't been screened locally in about a century.

"Of the over 70 films made at the [San Antonio] Star Film Ranch, Billy and His Pal is one of only five that have survived," said TAMI director and founder Caroline Frick in a statement. "This is a rare opportunity to watch a part of San Antonio's film history and an important reminder that Texas films are being lost on a daily basis to both neglect and deterioration. We hope the rescue of Billy and His Pal will inspire San Antonians to contribute their films to this important statewide digitization initiative."

The award-winning Texas Film Round-Up, a program by TAMI and TFC, offers free film and video digitization to anyone who makes home movies, industrial films, educational films, advertisements, local TV programs, feature films, and more. The program is having two drop-off events in San Antonio: at 6:30pm before the Billy and His Pal screening, and on June 2 and 3, and we'll write more around that time. For now, I recommend you visit texasfilmroundup.org or call (512) 485-3073 for more information.