The sounds and images of Athens’ music scene during the heyday of bands like R.E.M. and The B-52s will return to the big screen this September, appearing more vibrant thanks to a crowd-funded University of Georgia Libraries project to restore the 1986 documentary Athens, GA: Inside/Out.
For the 40th anniversary of the film, the Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection will host two free community screenings on Thursday, Sept. 24 featuring an introduction by filmmaker Bill Cody, who donated the original 16 mm film and all accompanying negative and sound elements to UGA Libraries’ special collections archive. Tickets to the shows, scheduled for 5:15 and 7 p.m., can be reserved at Cine’s website or at the box office.
“This iconic snapshot of the 1980s Athens music scene looks and sounds more stunning than it ever has,” said Ryan Lewis, music and popular culture curator at the UGA Special Collections Libraries. “I had seen this film at least 20 times in the past and was blown away to discover sights and sounds that I hadn't noticed thanks to the meticulous restoration.”
More than 160 donors contributed to the campaign to restore the film, including musicians and friends of the UGA Libraries. In addition, contributions from the mayor’s office, visitor’s bureau and other members of the Athens community helped to make the $65,000 project possible.
“We are beyond grateful to all the donors near and far who helped make this digital restoration possible,” said Ruta Abolins, director of the Brown Media Archives, which is the third largest publicly accessible archive in the country. “We do not have a budget for this kind of extensive digital preservation, so being able to count on the community for help makes this project even more special."