From Coast to Coast and Across the Atlantic


The past two weeks have been busy for Mainspring, with Googie featured at four film festivals on both coasts of the United States and in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with enthusiastic audiences, lively discussions, and frequent questions about when the film will be available to stream. We are working on that. In the meantime, we continue to support Googie on the film festival circuit, with more screenings ahead.


Our short documentary Curating Modernism is also screening at the Newport Beach Film Festival on October 19.


Meanwhile, production continues on Goldfinger Geller Rudolph, with new interviews being filmed. We are also preparing for several other productions.


Thank you for following our work, and enjoy the newsletter!

Googie Welcomed at Newport Beach Film Festival

The October 18 screening of Googie at the Newport Beach Film Festival drew an appreciative audience and enthusiastic response. Following the film, festival features coordinator Hope Hinkle moderated a Q&A featuring Alan Hess, Chris Nichols, and John English.


Among those attending were Victor Newlove and Stephen Shaw from Armét Davis Newlove Architects. Newlove has been a partner in the firm since the 1970s. The firm is celebrated for legendary Googie designs, including Pann’s and Mel’s Drive-In in Santa Monica, formerly known as The Penguin.


Also attending was Dan Kassell, owner of the Five Points Car Wash, who was thrilled to see footage of his business featured in the documentary. Kassell is building a new car wash in Inglewood incorporating the same distinctive pylons.


Googie will have another screening at the festival on October 20.

Austerity Mode

Mainspring is currently operating in austerity mode, carefully stretching every available dollar while continuing work on two major documentary projects already well into production. As a nonprofit organization, we rely largely on voluntary donations, supplemented by modest residual income from screenings and streaming. At the moment, donations have slowed considerably.


We are getting a great deal done on a shoestring, prioritizing essential expenses and finding economical ways to keep production moving. But there are limits to what careful budgeting alone can accomplish. Editing, archival research, licensing, travel, equipment, and other necessary production costs still require funding.


If you value Mainspring’s films and our commitment to documenting important stories, this is an especially meaningful time to support our work. Even modest contributions help us maintain momentum and move these projects toward completion.


Your support is urgently needed and deeply appreciated. Please consider making a donation today through our PayPal donation link or through any of the donation methods listed at the end of this newsletter.

Googie Receives Warm Welcome at New York's ADFF

Jake Gorst attended all three screenings of Googie at New York's Architecture & Design Film Festival, October 15–17. The film was very well received, with lively audience participation in Q&A sessions following each screening.

The October 15 New York premiere featured a discussion moderated by renowned architecture critic Paul Goldberger. Audience participation was so strong that the session ran several minutes overtime. Festival founder Kyle Bergman moderated the October 16 Q&A, which was recorded and will be released soon.

Kelvin Dickinson of the Paul Rudolph Institute attended the first two screenings. Gorst also announced Mainspring's upcoming documentary, Goldfinger Geller Rudolph, which is being produced with the cooperation of the Paul Rudolph Institute. The announcement received an enthusiastic audience response.

Next, ADFF plans to bring Googie to Toronto, Vancouver, Chicago, and Detroit, with possible screenings in San Francisco and Mumbai.

Googie Draws Enthusiastic Crowd at Modernism Week

More than 300 people attended the October 17 encore screening of Googie at the Annenberg Theater in Palm Springs, part of Modernism Week's fall program. Film coordinator and longtime supporter of our productions Mark Davis reported an exceptionally enthusiastic audience. Following the screening, many attendees took to social media to share photographs from the event.

The screening followed the film's successful world premiere at Modernism Week in February, when demand resulted in sold-out performances and an additional screening. 

We thank Mark and the Modernism Week team for welcoming the film back and sharing it with another appreciative audience.

Still A Production Need: An A3 Scanner

Mainspring Narrative Films is seeking a VF3240 A3 Scanner to assist with production and archival work on our current documentary projects. The scanner is available through our Amazon Wishlist and can be purchased there and donated directly to Mainspring.


Much of our work involves historic photographs, architectural drawings, documents, correspondence, and other archival materials that need to be digitized at high quality. The VF3240 accommodates materials up to A3 size and offers optical resolution up to 2400 x 2400 DPI with 48-bit color, allowing us to capture fine details that can be critical when preparing archival material for film.


A donated scanner would become an important production tool used across multiple Mainspring projects. Mainspring will provide the donor with a letter acknowledging the donation, which may be used for tax purposes to the extent permitted by law.

Studio Improvements Continue at Mainspring

Despite delays resulting from Jake Gorst’s medical situation, work continues on reorganizing Mainspring’s studio to accommodate the needs of upcoming productions. Contributions from generous donors have made a practical difference. Currently, additional shelving is being built, providing much-needed storage for archival collections and reference materials. One donor also sent a box of green-screen chroma key muslins, which will be especially useful for work on our Antonio Corsi documentary.


Plans are also underway to reorganize the studio’s film cleaning and scanning station, improving the handling and digitization of historical footage. Progress has been slower than anticipated, but these improvements are helping us prepare for the production work ahead.

Work Continues on the Antonio Corsi Book

Work continues on the manuscript for our upcoming book about Antonio Corsi, the remarkable artist’s model whose career spanned two continents and brought him into contact with some of the most celebrated artists of his time.


An initial manuscript of approximately 150 pages has been completed and is now being expanded to provide a more comprehensive account of Corsi’s life and career. Archival documents, correspondence, photographs, and other historical materials are helping us fill gaps in his extraordinary story.


The book will explore not only Corsi’s professional accomplishments but also the people, places, and circumstances that shaped his remarkable journey.

Click here for more information about the upcoming Corsi film!