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Academy to Archive Alamo Drafthouse Posters

The Alamo Drafthouse's poster company, MONDO, created posters for the Rolling Roadshow series, including one based on "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." The company's posters will soon join the archives of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
By Jeff Proctor, courtesy MONDO/Alamo Drafthouse
The Alamo Drafthouse's poster company, MONDO, created posters for the Rolling Roadshow series, including one based on "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." The company's posters will soon join the archives of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The AlamoDrafthouse’s poster company, MONDO, is partnering with the archiving arm of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Some of MONDO's posters feature art based on upcoming films. Artists working with the company also create posters for older classic films, as well as special Drafthouse screenings. One example is the reworking of the poster for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" to promote the Alamo's Rolling Roadshow this summer. MONDO has its illustrated movie posters licensed by the studios who produce the films.

MONDO Creative Director Justin Ishmael told KUT News that fans and collecters snap up the prints quickly, and they often sell out. He says this is the first time the Academy is archiving posters from a third-party group like this.

“MONDO is run by three people,” Ishmael said. “It’s not owned by a studio, it’s owned by the Alamo Drafthouse. This legitimizes what we’re doing. A lot of people still think our posters are unofficial, like it’s just a bunch of guys making posters, but we work hard to get [studios] to sign off on what we produce.”

The Academy first approached MONDO two months ago, Ishmael said. According to anews release from the Academy, the company’s posters join 38,000 others in the Margaret Herrick Library. In the release, Graphic Arts Librarian Anne Coco said the MONDO collection fits their concept of what should be archived.

“We are always seeking out the unusual, and the Mondo collection certainly fits the bill. We are looking forward to working with the Alamo Drafthouse to ensure that its contribution to the art of movie posters will be around for future generations to appreciate.”

Prints from this summer, including a recent poster for the 1931's "Frankenstein," as well as an interpretation of the film, "They Live," by acclaimed graphic artist ShepardFairey’s , will be the first prints MONDO ships to Hollywood. All the posters the company produces fro now on will follow, Ishmael said. Fans can see all of their posters in the new online archive.

Audrey White is a news intern at KUT. She is currently studying at the University of Texas at Austin.