Texas Film Roundup wants your old home movies for archives

Those untouched home videos and film reels hidden away in closets across the Rio Grande Valley — there are gems inside.

The Texas Film Roundup looks to discover the community’s untold stories by collecting and digitizing Texas-related films and videotapes, including home movies. ENTRÉ Film Center, the Texas Archive of the Moving Image and the Texas Film Commission are collaborating on the project.

The program, running today through Oct. 8, invites community members to drop off their home movies at one of 12 locations in Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties. Services are offered in exchange for the donation of a digital copy to the archive program.

The project places a focus on gathering Valley residents’ more intimate moments, while creating a visual collection to add to the region’s oral histories.

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“We feel like it’s really important to our cultural heritage,” said C. Diaz, co-founder of ENTRE, an artist-run community film center and regional archive based in Harlingen. “We’re not a monolith. (The films) give broader insight into the experience here. It’s more than the stereotypical narrative, and allows us to celebrate different ways of living.”

“We often hear, ‘You don’t really want my home movies and videos,’” said Texas Archive of the Moving Image managing director Elizabeth Hansen. “These are dead artifacts, and we’re trying to bring these back to life.”

“A lot of people don’t think they’re home movies are important,” Diaz added. “We can learn from and preserve them for future generations to come.”

The Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) is a nonprofit organization working to discover, preserve, provide access to, and educate the community about Texas’ film heritage. Much of its collection is available to view at www.texasarchive.org.

The award-winning public history program has resulted in the preservation of more than 45,000 films and videotapes. Participants will also be able to share a copy of their materials with ENTRE, in support of their activities to preserve and share stories of the RGV.

In celebration of Home Movie Day, a globally recognized event marked annually in October, a weekend of events will honor RGV culture and history. In addition, home movies will be accepted for digitization during these events.

>> From 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, the city of Port Isabel and the Texas Historical Commission alongside TAMI and ENTRE will be hosting a screening of “Misterio en las Bermudas,” directed by Gilberto Martínez Solares, at the Port Isabel Lighthouse, 421 E. Queen Isabella Blvd. The film was released in 1979 and shot at South Padre Island.

>> From 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, ENTRE Film Center will host Home Movie Day at 415 W. Jackson Ave. in Harlingen. Community members may bring their home movies to be inspected (and sometimes screened) while learning how to care for these precious memories.

>> From 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, the Texas Film Roundup continues at the Museum of South Texas History, 200 N. Closner Blvd. in Edinburg.

Texas Film Round-Up locations

Bring your home movies (film and video) to one of the drop-off sites listed below between Sept. 25 and Oct. 4 during hours of operation.

STARR COUNTY

HIDALGO COUNTY

CAMERON COUNTY

WILLACY COUNTY

>> Reber Memorial Library, 193 N. 4th St., Raymondville

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday