NEWSLETTER
The public is invited to see and share their own home movies on the big screen
Rochester, N.Y., March 12, 2026— On March 28 the George Eastman Museum will present Home Movie Day , bringing this free, worldwide event to Rochester, New York. Home Movie Day invites the public to see and share their own home movies with an audience from their community. Guests are welcome to bring films or videos to screen, or simply come to experience the vast array of fascinating amateur movies from the Rochester area. It is also a chance to discover why home movies matter and how to care for these precious films.
George Eastman had the vision to produce smaller gauge motion picture formats to make filmmaking accessible for amateurs. With the introduction of 16mm film in 1923, followed by 8mm film in 1932, the opportunity for people to affordably document family histories and make their own personal movies became possible. Since that time, home movies have blossomed in ways that might have been unimaginable to even George Eastman, from the VHS camcorder boom in the 1980s to twenty-first-century phone-generated clips instantly shared globally via social media.
"In our recognition of the value of home movies of the past and present as unique personal and family histories, combined with George Eastman Museum’s dedication to sharing best practices for preserving photographic materials, the museum is the perfect place for the public to experience Home Movie Day,” said Gordon Nelson, assistant curator, Digital Collection and Home Movie Day event organizer.
Each film must be checked for damage before being run on a film projector. Faculty and students from The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation at the George Eastman Museum will be on hand to perform film inspections and project the films. Films determined to be in good condition will be screened. Super 8, 8mm, and 16mm, video (VHS tape), and digital formats (DVD and Quicktime files) are welcome.
More information about Home Movie Day and other locations around the world can be found on the Home Movie Day website .
Schedule
Friday, March 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Early check in with films at the George Eastman Museum
Saturday, March 28 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Check in with films at the George Eastman Museum
Saturday, March 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Home Movie Screening in the Multipurpose Hall
Early drop off may also be arranged by contacting Gordon Nelson by phone at (585) 327-4874 or email at gnelson@eastman.org .
Admission
Museum admission on Home Movie Day will be free for anyone who brings in a film to screen. For those looking to watch, free museum admission is available for members, children (4 & under), for SNAP and EBT cardholders and their families, and for active-duty military personnel and their families. For additional ticket information, hours, and other details, visit eastman.org .
About the George Eastman Museum
Founded in 1947, the George Eastman Museum is the world’s oldest photography museum and one of the largest film archives in the United States. Its holdings comprise more than 400,000 photographs, 31,000 motion picture films, the world’s preeminent collection of photographic and cinematographic technology, one of the leading libraries of books and archival materials related to photography and cinema, and extensive holdings of documents and other objects related to George Eastman. The museum is located on the historic Rochester estate of entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman, the pioneer of popular photography. As a research and teaching institution, the Eastman Museum has an active publishing program, and its L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation’s graduate program (a collaboration with the University of Rochester) makes critical contributions to film preservation. The George Eastman Museum is supported with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. For more information, visit eastman.org .
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ATTN. Media: High-resolution images for Home Movie Day can be downloaded here . Please add the following caption: Rochester Home Movie Day at the George Eastman Museum. Photo by Jackie McGriff, 2025.