NOW EXHIBITING: FORT LEE THE FILM TOWN
Celebrating Fort Lee’s Role as the Birthplace of American Cinema
Exhibit Curator: Sarah Konyak
Now Showing: “Fort Lee: Birthplace of American Cinema,” showcasing the rich history of filmmaking in Fort Lee, New Jersey, from the silent era to modern Hollywood. The ongoing exhibit is now open to the public and features new artifacts, memorabilia, and highlights on a rotating basis. This exhibition is part of a broader initiative to expand the Barrymore’s museum as a dynamic, multi-use cultural space, now featuring a rotating gallery of local artists and designed to support receptions, workshops, seminars, and community gatherings.
Before Hollywood became synonymous with moviemaking, Fort Lee was the hub of the emerging American film industry. Studios lined the Palisades, and pioneering directors, performers, and technicians transformed streets, taverns, and landscapes into the earliest cinematic backlots. Figures such as Alice Guy-Blaché, Maurice Tourneur, Herbert Brenon, and Pearl White helped establish storytelling, editing, and production standards that continue to influence filmmaking today.
Visitors to the exhibit can explore this history through rare artifacts, historic costumes, studio photographs, and interactive displays.
HOURS OF OPERATION:
OPEN: APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES PRIOR TO SHOWTIME
CLOSE: 15 MINUTES AFTER THE EVENT IS OVER
FREE ADMISSION
“Fort Lee played a pivotal role in shaping American film, and this exhibit is our way of celebrating the visionaries who started it all. From rare costumes to historic equipment and groundbreaking literature, visitors will see how Fort Lee’s creativity and innovation set the stage for the global film industry we know today.”
- Nina Larson, Executive Director
Supported in part by a grant from the New Jersey Department of State,
Division of Travel and Tourism.
