After years of planning, the Anthology Film Archives first opened its doors in New York City towards the end of 1970. That opening came with great interest and fascination of how the world’s first “museum of film” was going to operate like no other theater before it.

Twelve American filmmakers will receive a total of $118,500 from the Ford Foundation in its first move to aid creative artists in motion pictures. The grants range up to $10,000 for a one-year period. They will be used by the recipients either to produce short films or for travel and study.

The 50th anniversary of the Ann Arbor Film Festival includes a major retrospective of Bruce Baillie, a Craig Baldwin lecture, and tons of films by George Kuchar, Jodie Mack and more.

Here’s the list of all 330 films included in the Anthology Film Archives’ Essential Cinema repertory collection that was founded in 1970.

Here’s a list of filmmakers that author Sheldon Renan wrote bios for in his seminal ’67 book An Introduction to the American Underground Film.

Notable underground film events of 1975 were the formation of Berks Filmmakers, the debut of the Rocky Horror Picture Show and Amos Poe making Night Lunch.