Saturday 18 October is international Home Movie Day. Here Lisa Kerrigan, one of the organisers of the London Home Movie Day explains more about it and why it’s important.
‘On Saturday October 18, archivists and film lovers around the world
will take time out of the vaults to help the public learn about,
enjoy, and rescue films forgotten with the advent of home video.
Home Movie Day shows how home movies on 8mm, Super8 and 16mm film
offer a unique view of decades past, and are an essential part of
personal, community, and cultural history.
Home Movie Day returns to London this year at the Curzon Soho cinema
bar. It’s a free event and open to everyone. There will be a Film
Clinic, offering free film examinations by volunteer film archivists.
After examination, the films can be passed to one of the
projectionists, who will be continuously screening home movies
throughout the day.
You don’t need to bring a film to attend and enjoy the event;
everyone has a chance to win prizes generously donated by the BFI and
Wellcome Collection just by viewing any of the films on the day.
Prizes include BFI DVDs and tickets to the IMAX.
The archivists can also offer advice about preserving films in film
archives around the UK and transferring films to other formats such
as DVD so they’re more easily watchable in the home.’
For more information visit the Home Movie Day website.
