In the early 1900s, Jacksonville Florida was a busy spot for silent movie-making because it was too snowy in the northern states to work all year long. There is still one studio building standing from those days.
Norman Studios was the only one that filmed silent movies with all Black/African-American casts, in real-life-type roles instead of the stereotypical roles for Blacks that were filmed back then.
The Studios were recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places. A local support organization is raising money to restore the inside as well. There are fundraising silent movie public screenings with a live band accompanying the film, the way it used to be done in the 1920s.
