The Maid of McMillan + The Freshman Screening

See the first student film! Special 35mm presentation by Washington University Archives and Film & Media Archive. 

Newly added to the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry this year, The Maid of McMillan is a 15-minute silent film written and produced by students of WashU through the Thyrsus Dramatic Club in 1916. Believed to be the first known student film, The Maid of McMillan was written, acted, filmed, and directed in four days to play at the annual WashU festival Surrkuss (precursor to today’s ThurtenE Carnival)—to great success.

To celebrate the honor, WashU Libraries are pleased to present the 35mm print created in 2022 from a National Film Preservation Fund grant. It will be paired with the silent feature film The Freshman, starring Harold Lloyd, for a collegial screening of athleticism, romance, and comedy. The Freshman was added to the National Film Registry in 1990. 

Free and open to all, please reserve your seats in advance. The screening will take place at the Hi-Pointe Theatre, 1005 McCausland Ave, St. Louis, MO 63117.