DC Home Movie Day August 12, 2006

Do you have home movies languishing in a box, cabinet, or basement? Perhaps you unearthed a treasure trove of films while cleaning up after the recent rain and subsequent flooding? Maybe your parents dumped a bunch of unknown reels on you the last time you went home? PERFECT!! Bring them to the 4th Annual DC Home Movie Day at the Library of Congress on August 12th! We'll be screening these gems (and some special surprises) all afternoon in the Pickford Theater. We'll also provide inspection of your films and someone will be on hand to discuss transferring your films to other mediums. Come on down! I've attached the press release below incase you'd like to read some juicy quotes.

Your films don't need to be of DC (or the surrounding area); they can be of concerts/shows, family trips, amateur filmmaking, etc.

Home Movie Day is a worldwide celebration of amateur films and filmmaking and is held annually.

PRESS RELEASE
July 28, 2006
Public contact: Amy Gallick (202) 707-1471, agal@loc.gov

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HOSTS FOURTH ANNUAL MOVIE DAY AUGUST 12

Historic Amateur and Home Film Works Screened for Preservation

Historic home movies from the Library of Congress collection and screenings of films brought by the public will be featured at the fourth annual Washington D.C. Home Movie Day (www.homemovieday.com). Library film experts and other local archivists will help attendees learn how to rescue their home 8mm, Super 8mm and 16mm films. The event will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 12, in the Pickford Theater, 3rd floor of the Library’s James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Moving Image section of the Library’s Motion Picture, Broadcast and Recorded Sound (MBRS) division, the event is free and open to the public.

“Saving our film heritage should not be limited only to commercially produced films,” says legendary director and film preservation advocate Martin Scorsese.

"The Library is pleased to support Home Movie Day. Home movies are a valuable record of the everyday experience and a wonderful, if too often overlooked, chronicle of American culture,” said Mike Mashon, Head of Moving Images for MBRS. “The Library actively preserves home movies as part of the national collection, and the Librarian has named several to the National Film Registry." Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names 25 “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant motion pictures to the Registry.

Home Movie Day is a worldwide celebration of amateur film and filmmaking that provides an opportunity for individuals and familes to learn more about their own family movies, how to care for films and how home movies have helped capture 20th century history. Forgotten with the advent of home video, home movies have never been entirely replaced. Video began to take over in the 1970’s, and more rapidly replaced amateur film usage in the 1980’s. Most of the films screened at Home Movie Day D.C. range from the 1940’s to the 1970’s.

There is no limit to the number of films each participant may bring to the event. Depending on the number of attendees, only one or two of their films may be screened. Damaged films cannot be screened, but participants whose films are at risk, will learn more about how to rescue these precious images. The audience will leave with the knowledge of how to care and preserve their home movies, information about how and where to transfer them to DVD, along with new ways to enjoy the films.

Official Website: http://www.homemovieday.com