2025 Keynote | Bill Morrison

Photo credit: Wolfgang Wesener

Acclaimed Filmmaker Bill Morrison will deliver the AMIA 2025 closing keynote with a special screening of Incident

8:00am — Incident (Screening)*
Content Advisory: This film includes real-world violence and racially charged content.

8:40am — Keynote Discussion

Acclaimed filmmaker Bill Morrison will deliver the closing keynote address on Friday, December 5, 2025. Morrison’s presentation will feature a special screening of his celebrated, Academy Award–nominated film Incident with a discussion of his creative process and the evolving role of archival media in contemporary filmmaking.

Recognized internationally for his distinctive cinematic language, Morrison creates films that breathe new life into archival materials, transforming fragments of the past into powerful meditations on memory, history, and the passage of time. His acclaimed body of work includes collaborations with some of the world’s most significant cultural institutions, including the Library of Congress, and his films have been featured at major film festivals and museums around the globe.

“I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Bill during my time at the Library of Congress, and I’ve long admired the way he transforms archival material into something profoundly new,” said Mike Mashon, President of the Association of Moving Image Archivists and former head of the Library’s Motion Picture Division. “His films are a testament to the power of preservation — not just to safeguard our cinematic heritage, but to continually reinterpret and reimagine it for new audiences. Welcoming Bill as our closing keynote is both an honor and a celebration of the creative possibilities that archives make possible.”

Incident — Morrison’s latest work and an Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Short Film— continues his exploration of archival footage as historical evidence and artistic expression, using found film to confront contemporary questions about memory, justice, and representation. The keynote program will include a  conversation with Morrison on the artistic, ethical, and technical considerations that shape his approach to archival storytelling.

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*Incident includes footage depicting real-world violence and racially charged incidents. Some material may be disturbing or emotionally challenging. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. We advise discretion and encourage attendees to care for their well-being during the screening.