For the original text in Spanish, click here.
Poster for HMD Mexico 2017 designed for the Cineteca Nacional by Shalom Pérez.
Home Movie Day was celebrated on October 21st, 2017 for the third time at the Cineteca Nacional, Mexico. The public was asked to bring along their family and amateur films (on 16mm, 8mm, and Super 8) with the aim of reviving and sharing these captured moments and fragments of memory. During the event, the spectators were also given advice on how to correctly store their films, and encouraged to approach professionals when they were not able to properly do so – because of complex technical issues or lack of resources for instance.
This year, 70 reels of various formats were collected from 11 families and checked on a viewing bench to assess their physical state. A brief description of each film was also made as most of the cans did not have a title nor contained any information about their content.
Bench inspection of Bautizo en Puebla.
Once the bench inspection was completed, we selected the material for projection based on the films’ physical condition, topics and duration. Those selected were then taped together into 400-feet reels, with each title separated by black leader. We also cleaned them and repaired the splices and damaged perforations.
On the day of the event, 75% of Room 4 of the Cineteca was full, which is what we were hoping for. The owners of the films were all present with their relatives and friends. Everyone was really eager to watch their films on the big screens! Before projecting each reel, we mentioned its origin, the history of the filming, how it was found and who were the people in it.
Spectators in Room 4.
Loading of the projector.
A few films particularly stood out:
Volkswagen Sedan.
A 16mm entitled El carro que nunca volvió a quedar limpio (The car that will never be clean again), in which we see the journey of the first Volkswagen Sedan in Mexico across the jungle of the Chiapas.
A 16mm from 1930 entitled A Christening in Puebla (Bautizo en Puebla), in which we see a father holding his little girl dressed in white for the occasion as well as a bullfight from the same region. Despite some silver mirroring, the image remained visible.
Projection of Laura Ramirez’ films.
The Super 8 films belonging to Laura Ramírez showed her family holidays in Acapulco, Guerrero. Her six sisters, who appear in the film, attended the projection and shared their memories with the public. They laughed at their hairstyles, swimming suits and make-up, typical of the 1950s-1960, and reminisced the people who were no longer with them.
During this program, I also had the opportunity to share a personal 8mm colour film showing the wedding of my great-aunt at my great-grand-parents’ house. My great-aunt herself came and shared anecdotes about her dress, the food and the wedding’s guests.
Home Movie Day 2017 superseded our expectations as planners of the event. The public freely exchanged their experiences and shared their family histories: they opened the door to their memories and gave the public the opportunity to immerse themselves in the lives of others for a day.
At the end of the event, we gave participants leaflets concerning the identification of film formats and gauges, as well as recommendations for the storing and preservation of home movies.
I think that this year was a new experience for the organisers and the spectators of Home Movie Day Mexico, since the interest in projecting and preserving Home Movies has grown, exceeding the amount of materials collected last year. The programming department of the Cineteca Nacional is now considering projecting these films as part of the institution’s official program, paving the way for discussions, sharing experiences, and exchanging knowledge of filmic material.
Tania L. Espinal is a Restorer/Conservator of films and visual documents. She currently works on the inspection and digitisation of small-gauge formats at the Cineteca Nacional, Mexico. She is also an organiser of Home Movie Day Mexico.
Photo credit: Jools Durán, Mariana Leyvart, Betsy Curiel. Poster by Shalom Pérez.
Text translated from the Spanish by Sarah Vandegeerde.
0 Comments