The Hollywood Conference invites you and a guest to attend
 

A Special 75th Anniversary Theatrical Screening of

SUNSET BOULEVARD
Brand New Digital Restoration

Directed by Billy Wilder
Written by D.M. Marshman Jr., Charles Brackett, and Billy Wilder
Produced by Charles Brackett

Introduced by and Pre-Screening Discussion with
Charlotte Barker, Director of Film Preservation & Restoration at Paramount Archives
&
Steven Cohan, Author of BFI Film Classics: Sunset Boulevard

7:30 P.M. on Saturday, July 19th, 2025

The Eileen Norris Cinema Theater at the Frank Sinatra Hall
3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007

FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVP REQUIRED.
RSVPs ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE.

FOOD AND DRINKS ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED IN THE AUDITORIUM.
 

CLICK HERE TO RSVP
 

About Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Gloria Swanson, as Norma Desmond, an aging silent-film queen, and William Holden, as the struggling young screenwriter who is held in thrall by her madness, created two of the screen's most memorable characters in Sunset Boulevard. Winner of three Academy Awards®, director Billy Wilder's powerful orchestration of the bizarre tale is a true cinematic classic. From the unforgettable opening sequence -- a body found floating in a decayed mansion's swimming pool -- through the inevitable unfolding of tragic destiny, Sunset Boulevard is the definitive statement on the dark and desperate side of Hollywood. Erich von Stroheim as Desmond's discoverer, ex-husband and butler, and Nancy Olson as the bright spot amidst unrelenting ominousness, are equally celebrated for their masterful performances.

Provided courtesy of Paramount Pictures. Running time: 110 minutes.

About the Guests

CHARLOTTE BARKER (Director, Film Preservation & Restoration at Paramount Archives)

Charlotte Barker serves as Director of Film Restoration and Preservation at Paramount Pictures, where she has worked for 20 years. She leads the studio’s restoration team, focusing on classic films with a particular emphasis on VistaVision. Her research continues to redefine the history of the widescreen format by uncovering hidden stories, verifying long-lost technical details, and dispelling long-standing myths.

Charlotte’s expertise has made her a sought-after speaker at major film festivals and industry conferences around the world. In 2025 alone, she has presented at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, Italy, sharing her insights on film restoration and the history of VistaVision with international audiences. She has also spoken at events hosted by SMPTE and the American Cinematographer’s Guild, covering topics ranging from the legacy of Sunset Blvd. (1950) to the ethics of film restoration.

Her team’s restoration of The Godfather (1972) earned the first-ever HPA Award for Best Restoration. She frequently offers behind-the-scenes insights and historical context at public screenings. Beyond her work at Paramount, Charlotte co-hosts Perf Damage, a film history podcast and YouTube channel, alongside her husband, Emmy-winning camera assistant Adam Barker. She is currently writing a book on the history of VistaVision, drawing on her deep industry connections and decades of experience to tell the definitive story of this groundbreaking format.

STEVEN COHAN (Author, BFI Film Classics: Sunset Boulevard)

Steven Cohan is Dean’s Distinguished Professor Emeritus in English and Screen Studies at Syracuse University and a former President of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (2015-2917). He has taught and published widely on multiple aspects of Classical Hollywood, lectured in the US, Canada, the UK, and Europe, and his work has been translated into French, Korean, and Chinese. Recent books include Hollywood by Hollywood: The Backstudio Picture and the Mystique of Making Movies (Oxford University Press, 2018), which was shortlisted for the 2019 Kraszna-Krausz Book Award for the best book on the moving image, Hollywood Musicals (Routledge, 2019), Sunset Boulevard (British Film Institute, 2022), On Audrey Hepburn: An Opinionated Guide (Oxford University Press, 2024), and Some Like It Hot (British Film Institute, 2025).

About The Hollywood Conference

The Hollywood Conference was founded in 2024 by a group of scholars working broadly in the study of Hollywood. The goal of the conference is to regularly gather historians, media industries scholars, cultural theorists, comparative media studies scholars, feminist, queer, and Black studies scholars, television scholars, etc., all with an interest in critically engaging with the practices and products of the American motion picture and television industry, known for a century by the metonymic name ‘Hollywood.’

The inaugural Hollywood Conference will take place in July 2025 at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, founded by Hollywood notables almost a century earlier. This first conference is sponsored by Iron Mountain Media & Archival Services, with additional support the Division of Cinema and Media Studies’ graduate student journal Spectator and the School of Cinematic Arts.

The goal is to make the Hollywood Conference a biennial event. Future iterations may rotate to other Los Angeles area campuses and will have focusing themes, while broadly centering on scholarship about Hollywood.

Learn more about The Hollywood Conference at https://www.thehollywoodconference.com/

Check-In & Reservations

This program is open to all eligible individuals. The USC School of Cinematic Arts operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

This screening is free of charge and open to the public. A reservation confirmation will automatically be sent to your e-mail account upon successfully making an RSVP through this website. Doors will open at 6:30 P.M.

All SCA screenings are OVERBOOKED to ensure seating capacity in the theater, therefore seating is not guaranteed based on RSVPs. The RSVP list will be checked in on a first-come, first-served basis until the theater is full. Once the theater has reached capacity, we will no longer be able to admit guests, regardless of RSVP status.

Accessibility Needs

Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations to attend this event may contact Alessandro Ago, Executive Director, Film Programming and Special Projects, at [email protected] or 213-740-2330. It is requested that individuals requiring accommodations or auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify us at least seven days prior to the event. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.

Parking

On-campus parking at the University of Southern California is limited. We recommend buying a day pass for the Royal Street Structure, located at the intersection of Royal Street and W. Jefferson Blvd. Parking passes are $20/car. For more information about parking at USC, please visit USC Transportation Website:

https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/daily-and-hourly-parking/
https://transnet.usc.edu/index.php/about-us/entrance-hours/

Contact Information

Name: Alessandro Ago
Email: [email protected]