News & Events

THIRD ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL HOME MOVIE DAY TO TAKE PLACE AT BURLINGTON COLLEGE ON AUGUST 13^th
Bring-Your-Own Film Event Spotlights Amateur Filmmaking & Home Movie Preservation

On August 13^th, Burlington College will hold Home Movie Day in their Community Room at 95 North Avenue as Vermont’s host of this 3^rd annual international event. The event sponsored by Burlington College will join Movie Day celebrations in New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco, Singapore, Brazil,Australia< and dozens of other locations across the United States and the world. 

Home Movie Day began in 2003, when a small group of film archivists decided to go beyond traditional preservation methods to try and save the countless reels of home movies shot on film during the 20^th century and to call attention to and celebrate this frequently overlooked, but increasingly valued, aspect of our film heritage.  People with 8mm, Super 8mm, and 16mm films bring their films to host sites where they receive free on-site inspection and appraisal by professionals in the field and participate in a public screening of selected movies.

“Film has the capacity to capture life’s textures and moods in a way that no other medium can emulate,” notes Barry Snyder, Chair of the Department of Cinema Studies and Film Production at Burlington College.  “The emotion of watching intensely personal memories come back to life on the screen, of rediscovering a past that has disappeared, is what makes Home Movie Day such an indelible experience.  In turn, Home Movie Day becomes an opportunity to educate people about preservation of this unique part of our cultural legacy.  Unfortunately, film is a perishable medium, and many films are being discarded, with everything they represent lost forever based on the mistaken idea that films are obsolete.” 

As the age of film gives way to the digital age, home movies are of increasing interest to historians and archivists.  "Saving our film heritage should not be limited only to commercially produced films,” says legendary director and film preservation advocate Martin Scorsese.  “Home movies do not just capture the important private moments of our family's lives, but they are historical and cultural documents as well. Consider Abraham Zapruder's 8mm film that recorded the assassination of President Kennedy or Nickolas Muray's famously vibrant color footage of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera shot with his 16mm camera. Imagine how different our view of history would be without these precious films. Home Movie Day is a celebration of these films and the people who shot them. I urge anyone with an interest in learning more about how to care for and preserve their own personal memories to join in the festivities being offered in their community on August 13th."

Burlington College is the only college in northern New England with a fully articulated degree program in film production and cinema studies.  Where many schools with media courses have moved entirely to digital video formats, the basic production courses at Burlington College are still film-based.  Burlington College’s ongoing devotion to our film-based cinematic heritage makes it a perfect candidate to host Home Movie Day.  This celebration will also serve as the inaugural event of a campaign to create the Vermont Film Archive at the college, which will be dedicated to preserving Vermont’s film heritage.

For more information about the local event, contact Barry Snyder at 862-9616 or bsnyder@burlington.edu.  For more information on International Home Movie Day, visit www.homemovieday.com.