Public encouraged to submit home movies, videos to ‘Texas Film Round-Up’
Lamar University will partner with the Texas Archive of Moving Images (TAMI) in the Texas Film Round-Up when it comes to Beaumont, October 21-23. On those days, TAMI staff will be present at LU’s Mary and John Gray Library to collect films and videotapes from the public for free digitalization.
“Film and videotapes are fragile and impermanent. They are susceptible to heat and humidity, two staples of Texas’ climate, and can decompose at very rapid rates, meaning the history held in those frames is lost forever,” said Madeline Moya, managing director of TAMI.
TAMI discovered that film from the Gulf Coast area is especially susceptible to decomposition and many valuable collections have been lost to natural disasters. The organization promotes the Texas Film Round-Up as an opportunity to preserve materials before they are lost.
Home movie collections often contain valuable insight into the past. They document the change of city landmarks over time, traditions or celebrations throughout the years and important events like ball games, storms or county fairs— all useful ways to learn about Texas history.
“We encourage people in Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange and all the areas nearby to bring their family collections to the library for free digitization,” Moya said. “Many people have long forgotten their family films or video and have no way to see them now that those media formats are obsolete. This is a chance to find out what is on their 16mm and 8mm film reels or VHS tapes at no cost.”
Citizens of Beaumont and the surrounding cities and towns are encouraged to attend and bring their home collections to the Mary and John Gray Library on October 21 from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., October 22 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and October 23 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The event will include a free public screening on October 22 at 4 p.m. on the 6th floor of the library featuring historic footage of the Golden Triangle and Mid County, including home movies believed to be the oldest existing footage of Beaumont.
To qualify for free digitization, films must be Texas related, and participants must be willing to donate a digital copy of the film to TAMI’s archive found at www.texasarchive.org. TAMI is a non-profit organization that, in partnership with the Texas Film Commission, works to discover, preserve, educate and provide access to, and educate communities about Texas’s film heritage by partnering with institutions and individuals across the state.
For more information, visit www.texasarchive.org where more than 4,000 of the more than 35,000 films collected since 2008 can be viewed online.
