See and Share Home Movies on the Big Screen
On March 28, the George Eastman Museum will present Home Movie Day, bringing this free, worldwide event to Rochester.
Home Movie Day invites the public to see and share their own home movies with an audience from their community. Guests are welcome to bring films or videos to screen, or simply come to experience the vast array of fascinating amateur movies from the Rochester area. It is also a chance to discover why home movies matter and how to care for these precious films.
George Eastman had the vision to produce smaller-gauge motion picture formats to make filmmaking accessible to amateurs. With the introduction of 16mm film in 1923, followed by 8mm film in 1932, the opportunity for people to affordably document family histories and make their own personal movies became possible. Since that time, home movies have blossomed in ways that might have been unimaginable to even George Eastman, from the VHS camcorder boom in the 1980s to 21st-century phone-generated clips instantly shared globally via social media.
“In our recognition of the value of home movies of the past and present as unique personal and family histories, combined with George Eastman Museum’s dedication to sharing best practices for preserving photographic materials, the museum is the perfect place for the public to experience Home Movie Day,” said Gordon Nelson, assistant curator, Digital Collection and Home Movie Day event organizer.
Each film must be checked for damage before being run on a film projector. Faculty and students from The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation at the George Eastman Museum will be on hand to perform film inspections and project the films. Films determined to be in good condition will be screened. Super 8, 8mm, and 16mm, video (VHS tape), and digital formats (DVD and QuickTime files) are welcome.
Check in with films on Friday, March 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the George Eastman Museum. The Home Movie Screening will take place Saturday, March 28, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Multipurpose Hall.
Early drop-off may also be arranged by contacting Gordon Nelson by phone at 585-327-4874 or by email at gnelson@eastman.org.
Museum admission on Home Movie Day will be free for anyone who brings in a film to screen. For those looking to watch, free museum admission is available for members, children (4 & under), for SNAP and EBT cardholders and their families, and for active-duty military personnel and their families. For additional ticket information, hours, and other details, visit eastman.org.
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