Peter Domankiewicz is a film director (
Tea & Sangria), screenwriter, and journalist with a long-standing interest in the origins of cinema. That interest manifests in five picks that deconstruct some of the myths surrounding early film, including the definition of “cinema” and its “invention,” a widescreen format at least 70 years before it became a standard, and a genuinely exclusive explanation of a film residing in the French national film archive that Peter was able to identify this summer.
He is currently in the final year of a fully-funded PhD at De Montfort University, examining the work and inventions of the controversial moving picture pioneer, William Friese-Greene. He has written about early film for
Sight & Sound and
The Guardian, contributed to reference works and journals, and has recently co-authored
Finding Birt Acres: The Rediscovery of a Film Pioneer for publication by University of Exeter Press in 2025. His blog
William Friese-Greene & Me presents original research on early film history for a broad readership.
Films and resources mentioned: