Aloha Wanderwell Film Collection

Dedicated to the preservation, restoration, documentation, exhibition and study of motion pictures, the Academy Film Archive is home to one of the most diverse and extensive motion picture collections in the world.

Adventure filmmaker Aloha Wanderwell Baker made films on the periphery of traditional cinema, most notably in the 1920s and 1930s. Documenting people, cultures and historical landmarks on 35mm nitrate camera negative and later on 16mm, Aloha crisscrossed five continents by automobile, becoming the first woman to do so.

On the lecture circuit, Aloha presented her silent films and continually re-edited footage to accommodate the venue and audience. Later in life she served as film archivist of her own collection, donating 16mm and 35mm nitrate and safety film elements to relevant archives and institutions, including the Academy in 1985.

Preservation of this initial donation is complete, with processing and preservation underway on a 2014 donation, courtesy of the Richard Diamond Trust, which contains the remainder of her collection.