Alice Guy Blache Birthday Bash

Christina Kotlar locates Alice Guy Blache grave in Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, New Jersey

On Sunday, July 1, the Fort Lee Film Commission sponsored events honoring first woman filmmaker Alice Guy Blache. This early cinema pioneer made magic at her Solax Studio built in Fort Lee, New Jersey. From 1912 through 1918, she made hundreds of short and feature-length films– writing, directing, producing and distributing. Madame Blache is just one reminder of New Jersey’s rich film history, specifically Fort Lee’s role in founding the modern-day film industry.

This year, Fort Lee Film Commission celebrates the centennial of the opening of Solax Studio and funds have been raised to place a new marker on the gravesite of Alice Guy Blache at Maryrest Cemetery in Mahwah, New Jersey. This marker will include the Solax logo and a new inscription indicating she was a cinema pioneer. This celebration of Alice Guy Blache’s life and consistently impressive body of work will raise awareness of her role in the history of world cinema and of New Jersey’s role as the birthplace of the motion picture film industry.

Alice Guy Blache birthday commemoration and unveiling of new gravesite marker at 12 noon at Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, New Jersey followed by a reception and birthday barbecue at 2 p.m. at the Fort Lee Museum, 1588 Palisade Avenue, Fort Lee, New Jersey.