1894 in film

Events

• January 7
• * William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film.
• * Thomas Edison films his assistant, Fred Ott sneezing with the Kinetoscope at the "Black Maria."
• April 14 – The first commercial presentation of the Kinetoscope took place in the Holland Brothers' Kinetoscope Parlor at 1155 Broadway, New York City.
• June 6 - Charles Francis Jenkins projects a filmed motion picture before an audience in Richmond, Indiana. Earliest documented projection of a motion picture.
• Thomas Edison experiments with synchronizing audio with film; the Kinetophone is invented which loosely synchronizes a Kinetoscope image with a cylinder phonograph.
• Kinetoscope viewing parlors begin to open in major cities. Each parlor contains several machines.
• Birt Acres creates a 70 mm format, which he first uses to shoot the Henley Royal Regatta.

  Notable films released in 1894

Birt Acres

• Crows on Saffron Hill
• Haycart Crossing Hadley Green, Middlesex

  Charles-Émile Reynaud

• Autour d'une cabine, animated short film.
• Rêve au coin du feu

  Étienne-Jules Marey

• Falling Cat
• Chat En Chute Libre

  William K. L. Dickson

• A Bar Room Scene
• Alleni's Boxing Monkeys
• Amateur Gymnast, No. 2
• Annabelle Butterfly Dance, starring Annabelle Moore.
• Annabelle Sun Dance, starring Annabelle Moore.
• Annie Oakley, starring Annie Oakley.
• Armand D'Ary, starring by Armand D'Ary.
• Athlete with Wand.
• Babies in High Chairs.
• Band Drill, directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson, wrote by Charles Hale Hoyt and starring by Frank Baldwin.
• Bertoldi , starring by Ena Bertoldi.
• Bertoldi , starring by Ena Bertoldi.
• Boxing, starring by Jack McAuliffe.
• Boxing Cats , may be the first comedy film ever made.
• Bucking Broncho, directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson and starring by Frank Hammitt and Lee Martin.
• Buffalo Bill, starring William F. Cody.
• Buffalo Dance, starring by Hair Coat, Parts His Hair and Last Horse.
• Caicedo , starring by Juan A. Caicedo.
• Caicedo , starring by Juan A. Caicedo.
• Carmencita, starring by Carmencita.
• Chinese Laundry Scene, directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson and starring by Phil Doreto and Robetta.
• Chinese Opium Den.
• Cock Fight, No. 2, directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson and starring by Henry Welton.
• Corbett and Courtney Before the Kinetograph, directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson and starring by James J. Corbett and Peter Courtney.
• Cupid's Dance, starring by Florence Ewer, Lenora Ewer and Mildred Ewer.
• Dance, starring by Rosa France, Frank Lawton and Etta Williamson.
• Dance du Ventre.
• The Dickson Experimental Sound Film also starring by William K.L. Dickson.
• Dogs Fighting.
• Edison Employee Picnic.
• Fancy Club Swinger, starring John R. Abell.
• Finale of 1st Act, Hoyt's 'Milk White Flag'.
• Fire Rescue Scene, directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson
• Fred Ott's Sneeze starring by Fred Ott.
• Fred Ott Holding a Bird starring by Fred Ott.
• French Dancers.
• Glenroy Bros, directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson. One of the earliest comedy films ever made.
• Hadj Cheriff, starring by Hadji Cheriff.
• Highland Dance.
• Human Pyramid, starring by Saleem Nassar.
• The Hornbacker-Murphy Fight, starring by Eugene Hornbacker and Murphy.
• Imperial Japanese Dance, directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson and starring by The Sarashe Sisters.
• Lady Fencers , starring by Louise Blanchard and Helen Englehart.
• Lady Fencers .
• Lasso Exhibition, starring by Frank Hammitt and Lee Martin.
• Lasso Thrower, starring by Vicente Oropeza.
• Leonard-Cushing Fight, starring by Jack Cushing and Mike Leonard..
• Luis Martinetti, Contortionist, starring Luis Martinetti.
• Man of a Thousand Faces, starring George Layman.
• May Lucas, starring May Lucas.
• Men on Parallel Bars.
• Mexican Knife Duel, starring Pedro Esquivel and Dionecio Gonzales.
• Miss Lucy Murray, starring by Lucy Murray.
• Mlle. Capitaine, starring by Alciede Capitaine.
• Organ Grinder, No. 1 and Organ Grinder, No. 2.
• Oriental Dance, starring by Rosa.
• Rat Killing.
• Rats and Terrier No. 2 and Rats and Terrier No. 3.
• Rats and Weasel.
• Ruth Dennis, starring by Ruth St. Denis.
• Sandow, Souvenir Strip of the Edison Kinetoscope, Sandow No. 2 and Sandow No. 3, starring bu Eugen Sandow.
• Sheik Hadji Tahar, starring by Sheik Hadji Tahar.
• Sioux Ghost Dance, directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson.
• Summersault Dog, starring by Lucy the Dog and Ivan Tschernoff.
• Sword Combat, starring by Najid and Saleem Nassar.
• The Barbershop, directed by William Heise and William K. L. Dickson.
• The Carnival Dance, starring by Madge Crossland, May Lucas and Lucy Murray.
• The Cock Fight.
• The Pickaninny Dance, from the 'Passing Show', starring by Joe Rastus, Denny Tolliver and Walter Wilkins.
• The Widder, starring by Isabelle Coe.
• The Wrestling Dog, starring by Henry Welton.
• Topack and Steele, starring by George W. Steele and George Topack.
• Toyou Kichi, starring by Toyou Kichi.
• Trained Bears
• Trapeze
• Unsuccessful Somersault
• Walton and Slavin No. 1, Walton and Slavin No. 2, Walton and Slavin No. 3 and Walton and Slavin No. 4 starring by John Slavin and Charles F. Walton.
• Whirlwind Gun Spinning, starring by Hadj Lessik.
• Wonderful Performing Dog, starring by Lucy the Dog and Ivan Tschernoff.
• Wrestling Match''.

  Films directed by other filmmakers

• Miss Jerry, directed by Alexander Black and starring by Blanche Bayliss, William Courtenay and Chauncey Depew.

  Births

• January 3 – ZaSu Pitts, American actress
• February 8 – King Vidor, American actor and director
• February 14 – Jack Benny, American comedian
• May 2 – Norma Talmadge, American actress
• May 20 – Estelle Taylor, American actress
• June 16 – Norman Kerry, American actor
• July 25 – Walter Brennan, American actor
• July 27 – Mientje Kling, Dutch actress
• September 15 – Jean Renoir, French director
• September 26 – Gladys Brockwell, American actress
• September 27 – Olive Tell, American actress
• August 10 – Alan Crosland, American director
• October 7 – Del Lord, Canadian pioneer Hollywood director
• October 20 – Olive Thomas, American actress
• October 27 – Agda Helin, Swedish actress
• November 9 – Mae Marsh, American actress
• November 13 – Nita Naldi, American actress
• December 8 – Marthe Vinot, French actress

  Debut

• Annabelle Whitford
• William Courtenay