FILM: Home Movie Day (10/17)

By Jen Graney on October 14, 2009

Once in awhile at family parties, we'd sit on the living room floor at my parents' house, pull out a screen and ancient projector, and after some clicking and whirring, like magic, our childhood selves would appear: a not-yet-year-old me saucily raising an eyebrow into the camera; my brother in a baby blue windbreaker, riding in a wheelbarrow full of pumpkins and squash; my sister collecting bright plastic Easter eggs.

It was fun to laugh and comment on the silent films we starred in. But at the 7th Annual International Home Movie Day, you can dust off your own home movies - or even found footage you've stumbled on - and accompany it with music, commentary, or just let the thing stand on its own. The event takes place simultaneously in cities worldwide; the Rochester location is the Visual Studies Workshop (31 Prince St), which puts on the event in collaboration with the George Eastman House. Besides sharing your films and viewing others, you can also learn how to take care of your movies.

If you plan to show your movie, you should submit your films ahead of time, so they can be inspected and prepped for screening. Call 271-3361 x 370 or visit homemovieday.com/rochester.html or homemovideday.com. Movies will be screened from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, October 17, and the event is free.