The 65th season of the CF Ira Holmes International Film Series presents a talk with Florida cinema history expert Dr. David Morton, followed by a screening of the silent-era classic “The Flying Ace.” (NR, USA, 1926, 1h 5m)

In 1926, Norman Studios became the first U.S. studio dedicated to portraying African Americans in leading roles with dignity and heroism. Advertised as “the greatest airplane thriller ever filmed,” “The Flying Ace” became a landmark of early American filmmaking and is the studio’s only surviving feature-length film. The plot revolves around a returning war hero, Captain Billy Stokes, the title’s “Flying Ace,” who is resuming his prewar position as a railroad detective. When a payroll agent disappears along with $25,000, Stokes must track them down and avoid falling victim to an unscrupulous rival pilot, the suave yet shady Finley Tucker who has eyes for the stationmaster’s daughter, Ruth Sawtelle. With two pilots vying for Ruth’s affections—and the whereabouts of the missing payroll — the film’s climax not unexpectedly occurs in the skies.

Free for Appleton and film series members; included with admission fee for nonmembers.