Home Movie Day is an international celebration of amateur films and filmmaking, providing many cities with a taste of local history and days gone by.

Bring home movies to share, or just come to enjoy the memories of others in the community!

We can show movies on 8mm, Super 8mm, and 16mm film, as well as VHS, DVD, and digital files! Please contact us if you have any questions about your films, or if you want to let us know in advance that you’ll be joining us! We have a 1 reel (3 minutes) limit until everyone has had a chance to share their films (and then we’re happy to watch more, if you bring them!)

Bring your sweet tooth, because home movies wouldn’t be complete without a good old fashioned BAKE SALE! (All proceeds from the bake sale go to sustain our community filmmaking space and resource library at Mechanical Eye Microcinema)

“Home Movie Day is the perfect opportunity for people to connect with our past and to move the conversation about preserving our cultural heritage into the future.” Ken Burns

HOME MOVIE DAY FAQ
What film formats can I bring to Home Movie Day?
Volunteers will inspect and project 16mm, 8mm, and Super 8 film. We will also project DVDs, VHS, & VHS-C. If you have any other oddball formats (28mm, 9.5mm, etc.), HMD representatives can help you find a safe, cost-effective way to view these prints.

Do I need to bring a home movie?
Nope. You’re welcome to stop by and just watch other people’s home movies. This isn’t a film screening where you need to stay silent. The more the audience contributes, the more fun it is.
Your commentary will be much appreciated!

I have a whole box of ’em! Can we watch ’em all?
Nobody likes a home movie hog. Bring as many films as you’d like, but we’ll be screening one reel (3-5mins) from each participant until everyone has had a chance to see their home movies. After that, second helpings are totally fine–especially in Kodachrome.

Do I have to get up and talk about my home movies?
You’re welcome to narrate your home movies and inform everyone that this scene was shot at Aunt Bertha’s high school graduation and that this one was shot on your family trip to Florida in 1982. Or you can just sit in the auditorium and watch them in anonymous silence. Whatever floats your celluloid boat.

My home movies are very personal. Why would I want to watch them with a bunch of voyeurs?
Home movies often commemorate scenes of enormous personal importance: weddings, graduations, birthdays, family reunions. Though home movies often begin as family records with
deeply private meaning, the passage of years makes them compelling to people far beyond your immediate family. They serve as authentic records of our neighborhoods, traditions, and
communities. You’ll enjoy sharing them–really.

Will you take my home movies and never give them back? They’re incredibly precious to me!
Nope. We’ll just inspect and project your home movies and return them to you in comparable condition. If there are broken perforations or cracked frames, we’ll fix those and return the films in better condition! Keep in mind that decades-old films are fragile and there’s an inherent (though slight) risk of damage during any projection. If we do not feel that the film can be safely
projected, we will not screen it.

Will you take my home movies and never give them back? I don’t want ’em anymore!
Some venues are associated with film archives. In those cases, the archivists would be happy to discuss options for donating your old, unwanted home movies to their collections.

This sounds amazing! How much will this expert consultation set me back?
Home Movie Day is free, but donations are always welcome to defray costs.