The following is an overview of the events of 1898 in film, including a list of films released and notable births. The Spanish–American War was a popular subject. Several films made by Col. William N. Selig dealt with the subject of war preparations at Camp Tanner in Springfield, Illinois, including Soldiers at Play, Wash Day in Camp and First Regiment Marching.^[1]

Years in film
19th century
1870s
1880s 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889
1890s 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899
1900s 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909
1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919
1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929
1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
2020s 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029
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Events

• May 19 – Vitagraph is founded in New York.^{[citation needed]}
• August 27 – Alfred John West gives a Royal Command Performance to Queen Victoria of film from the cruise of HMS Crescent at Osborne House.
• Birt Acres invents the first amateur format, Birtac, by splitting 35 mm film into two halves of 17.5 mm.

Films released in 1898

• The Accursed Cavern, directed by George Melies ^[2]
• The Astronomer's Dream, directed by Georges Méliès; re-released in 1899 as A Trip to the Moon^[3]
• The Ball Game
• The Cavalier's Dream, directed by Edwin S. Porter
• The Cave of the Demons, directed by George Melies
• Come Along, Do!, directed by Robert W. Paul. First multi-scene film in cinema [In this film 2 scenes are edited together for the first time in cinema]
• Corbett and Sharkey Fight
• The Corsican Brothers, produced by G.A.S. Films (British)^[4]
• The Damnation of Faust, directed by George Melies
• Dewar's It's Scotch, the first advertising movie, produced by the Edison Studios
• Don Juan Tenorio, the first Mexican film with a plot, directed by Salvador Toscano
• Eiffel Tower, directed by Louis Lumière. First (sort of) crane shot in cinema [It was taken from the ascending elevator in the Eiffel Tower]
• Ella Lola, a la Trilby, produced by the Edison Co.^[5]
• Faust and Mephistopheles, directed by George Albert Smith
• The Four Troublesome Heads, directed by Georges Méliès
• The Humpty Dumpty Circus, directed by J. Stuart Blackton
• Jizo the Spook, Japanese (aka Bake Jizo)
• The Magician, directed by Georges Méliès
• The Mesmerist, directed by George Albert Smith. ^[6]
• The Miller and the Sweep, directed by George Albert Smith
• The Nearsighted School Teacher
• A Novice at X-Rays, directed by George Melies
• Pack Train On Chilkoot Pass, film shows landscape in Chilkoot Pass, Alaska or British Columbia
• Panorama de Manila (Manila landscape), one of the earliest Philippine films shot and produced by a Spanish soldier, Antonio Ramos showing some Manila sceneries.
• Photographing a Ghost, directed by George Albert Smith
• Santa Claus, directed by George Albert Smith. May include the first example of parallel action in a motion picture
• Shinen no sosei (aka Resurrection of a Ghost), Japanese
• Smích a pláč (Laugh and Tears), directed by Josef Šváb-Malostranský, the first Czech film
• Surrender of General Toral
• A Switchback Railway

Debuts

• Josef Šváb-Malostranský^[7]
• Johnston Forbes-Robertson – Macbeth
• Salvador Toscano^[8]

Births

Date unknown

• Monang Carvajal, Filipina actress (died 1980)