James Mockoski
James Mockoski is an accomplished film archivist and restoration expert with a rich career dedicated to preserving cinematic history. His work is world renown as the Film Archivist for Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope, where he has spearheaded the critically and industry-acclaimed restoration of several landmark films, including Apocalypse Now (1979), The Conversation (1974), The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part III (1990), Hearts of Darkness (1991), One From the Heart (1981), and The Outsiders (1983).
As founder of The Maltese Film Works, an independent company committed to preserving and restoring films, Mockoski was commissioned to restore the seminal Talking Heads documentary, Stop Making Sense (1984), which was released theatrically by A24 to sold-out crowds in 2023. Through his company, he continues to collaborate with notable institutions like the long-running San Francisco Silent Film Festival, partnering to restore silent film classics such as Mothers of Men (1917), one of the earliest surviving suffrage films.
Throughout his career, Mockoski has been recognized for his dedication to preserving film history. In 2023, he received the Outstanding Achievement in Restoration award at the HPA Awards for his work on The Godfather. His restoration work extends beyond well-known Hollywood titles to include significant international films, such as his role in restoring two Karel Zeman films, Invention for Destruction (1958) and The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962), which were honored with a release on Criterion’s label. As one of the few high-level consultants and experts in this space, Mockoski has been invited to speak at prestigious film events, including the Venice Film Festival, San Sebastian Film Festival, Lyon Film Festival, and the Telluride Film Festival.
Mockoski holds a B.A. in Film/Video from the University of California, Santa Cruz and an M.A. in Film Archiving from the University of East Anglia. Through his film preservation work, he is an active member of the Academy of Motion PIcture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) and the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) and continues to push the boundaries of film restoration with cutting-edge technology, ensuring that the magic of cinema is protected for generations to come.