If you want a real look at East Tennessee history, some of it may possibly be found in reels of home movies tucked away in a closet, attic, or storage unit.
The Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound (TAMIS) wants you to bring your home movies before time runs out on a hidden piece of history.
"We find these films in a lot of barns, attics, and garages. And they're actually deteriorating in those conditions. We try to get [the film] in a stable environment with controlled temperature and humidity so it does not deteriorate any longer," said TAMIS archivist Eric Dawson.
TAMIS is part of the Knox County Public Library and is hosting home movie screening events Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20-21, to showcase some of the historic footage gathered from the last century. The events are part of International Home Movie Day.
"They made home movies basically throughout the entire century. The earliest known moving image of Knoxville is actually a 1915 home movie shot by Jim Thompson," said Dawson. "We have downtown footage from the 1930s. Incredible shots nobody else has. These movies show everything from fashion, architecture, cars, and it is just a unique look you don't get from still photographs or even from news footage."
TAMIS stores the films in a large cold-storage vault in the basement of the East Tennessee History Center. Much of the original film on the shelves has been cleaned, inspected, and dubbed to digital video files.
"All told, there are thousands of reels of film. That includes news footage, home movies, and feature films from our area. A big part of our collection comes from home movies people have donated," said Dawson.
Dawson said many people have historic footage at home, but may not be able to watch it.
"People have home movies they haven't seen in years because they don't have a working projector or they just haven't thought about it. So, what we like to do is invite people to bring their home movies to us. If you donate he film, we will give you digital transfers for free as either a DVD or files," said Dawson.
Decades after the amateur movie-makers captured memories at home, the restoration of the past almost always gets a strong reaction.
"People actually love seeing these things, whether it is from their home or someone else’s. You get to see these candid unguarded looks at families. And we've also found some [films], you're never going to see anything quite like this again."
Dawson hopes saving the hidden recordings from home will preserve the sights and sounds of real East Tennessee history.
"It's a unique cultural record of Knoxville and the way people lived in East Tennessee throughout the years," said Dawson.
Donated film footage is able to be requested from TAMIS for educational and research purposes. The donated film can also be licensed to filmmakers and documentarians, which helps fund TAMIS and its efforts to preserve Tennessee treasures.
