*UPDATE* How-to Home Movie Day 2022
HMD Hirosaki, Japan 2012. Courtesy of Film Preservation Society, Tokyo
Are you interested in helping people learn more about their home movies and how to preserve them? Home Movie Day welcomes new local hosts from all around the world, in cities big and small. Experience handling film and a fondness for home movies is definitely a plus—but if all you have is a venue that’s available on the third Saturday in October and a lot of enthusiasm, we will try to help you pull together the equipment, supplies, and volunteer archivists you will need to host a successful Home Movie Day event. Everyone who has held a Home Movie Day event in the past will tell you the same thing: Hard work is involved, but the outcome makes it all worthwhile. You’ll be helping people connect with their families’ histories, their own past, and their communities, and you’ll also contribute to the rescue of an important part of the cultural record, one which might otherwise be destroyed through neglect.
Please visit the Host FAQ and Documents section of our website for important information and helpful documents on hosting a Home Movie Day. Also, check the listing of HMD locations—if there’s already an event host in your area, get in touch and join forces. Some locations do day and evening screenings in separate venues! If you’re ready to sign on, email us and provide your name, location, contact information, and, if available, information about your Home Movie Day venue. We will send you an invitation to our Listserv so you can communicate with other HMD hosts. You will find other helpful information on this site, including Promotional Images, Video PSAs, and Sounds for use in publicizing your HMD event.
Want to volunteer?
If you can’t commit to running your own Home Movie Day event, consider volunteering to help out with one near you. Extra hands are always needed at HMD—relief projectionists, film prep people, runners, greeters, and surplus friendly folks ready to tackle the unexpected can all make a good Home Movie Day event even better. Please visit the listing of HMD locations to find one near you.
Contact the Center for Home Movies at info@centerforhomemovies.org for any questions about hosting a Home Movie Day event.