What is the purpose of collecting home movies?
It’s a question I'm asked a lot when talking about ENTRE’s regional archive. On the surface, the answer is simple: To preserve the myriad of lived histories across the Texas/Mexico border. I would further argue that home movie preservation incites a more subconscious and ancestral desire to plug back into one’s roots and understand ourselves on a deeper level. For me, home movies are more than just documentation of daily life, milestones and celebrations—vibrating beneath the pixels and frames is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, threads that connect us as a people.
In 2023 we partnered with the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) to host an RGV-focused Texas Film Round-Up. This incredible program offers free digitization of Texas-made films such as home movies, and since we do not have the capacity or equipment to handle transfers beyond VHS, miniDV and Hi8, we felt this partnership would provide our community the opportunity to re-encounter the memories their precious home movie collections held.
Over the course of a 10-day drop-off period, capped by a three-day extravaganza with TAMI archivists, we collected over 2,000 film and video materials from across the Rio Grande Valley. For the 10 months following, TAMI archivists were hard at work inspecting, cleaning and digitizing this treasure trove.
At ENTRE, we’re constantly thinking about ways to activate the archive, and strive to design programming that allows for our history to be integrated with the present moment, keeping it relevant and alive. Upon reflecting on our collaboration with TAMI, the idea of a moving image ofrenda came to mind as a way to activate the home movie collections we were to inherit. In the Spring of 2024, I shared my idea with the TAMI team and asked if they felt the timeline would be doable, considering the large workload. Ari Negovschi Regalado, TAMI’s Technical Director and all-around preservation badass, expressed confidence in finishing all digitization by October. And so, our planning began.
The vision was to merge art, cultural tradition, and archives using our home movie collection as source material to create a Moving Image Ofrenda that would be exhibited during Día de los Muertos. It was a big undertaking, and came to fruition with the skills, vision and talents of our creative community!
Around the time I had been developing this idea, local artist Elise D. reached out proposing to create an ofrenda for Día de los Muertos at ENTRE. She grew up in Monterrey, Nuevo León and spent much of her childhood assisting with ofrendas at school and at home during the holiday. The stars aligned (a constant and welcomed theme throughout the history of our organization), and we invited Elise to design and fabricate the ofrenda for our annual Home Movie Day celebration as well as a separate iteration for the annual Community Altar Exhibition at the Museum of South Texas History (MOSTH). Video art is one of Elise’s areas of interest and experimentation, and her vision was to create a multi-screen installation for the ofrendas that would include the various foods, music, colors, and hobbies associated with the people featured.
We also collaborated with Alexandra Villarreal as our graphic designer to create our Home Movie Day poster as well as a booklet that accompanied the moving image ofrenda. Alexandra reached out to us earlier in the year to share her portfolio, letting us know she was interested in working with us. After speaking over the phone and describing the vision, we met in person to discuss ideas for the poster and I was blown away by her mood board and initial sketches. Her attention to detail and willingness to try out different ideas really stood out to me, and I am so proud of what we created together!
Gladys Ornelas joined the team as our Fall Archive Intern and spearheaded outreach with contributors. As files began to arrive from TAMI, Gladys cross-referenced our database to note which collections were incomplete/complete, communicated with archive contributors about whether they wanted to participate in our moving image ofrenda, and coordinated meetings between contributors and myself to discuss their collection and learn more about the person they chose to honor. Gladys' inherent tenderness carried the intimacy of this memory work throughout the course of the internship. She developed a questionnaire for contributors which provided us with more details about their loved one, and eventually influenced the additional video pieces and ofrenda booklet.
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We installed two versions of the ofrenda: One at the Museum of South Texas History as part of their Community Altar Exhibition, and one at ENTRE for Home Movie Day. The reception at both openings was extremely moving—contributors joined from across the Valley to see the ofrenda in person, meet ENTRE staff and volunteers, and share memories with other community members in attendance.
At MOSTH, we were one of nine ofrendas created by individuals and organizations to honor people in their immediate communities. Ofrenda contributors Francine Barrera Diaz, Fabiola Barrera and Carlos Luis “Charlie” Garcia were in attendance at the opening on Saturday, October 26th. Connections and memories between family members in Rio Grande City were uncovered and shared.
The following Saturday, November 2, we hosted our 4th annual Home Movie Day. We encouraged ENTRE staff and volunteers to bring photographs of loved ones to add to the ofrenda. Elise was joined by volunteers to build the ofrenda, where an intricate and beautiful Xoloitzcuintle was created using rice and black beans. Pan de muerto, coffee, tequila and fresh marigolds were placed as offerings, alongside items such as a small sewing kit and various cameras. We offered pan dulce and cafecito to attendees and hosted activities such as writing and illustrating a memory of a loved one to add to the ofrenda and Home Movie Day Bingo. As with every Home Movie Day, we set up viewing stations for VHS, miniDV, and Hi8 materials and provided various zines and information about moving image preservation.
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Home Movie Day is my FAVORITE holiday at ENTRE, and this one was truly one for the books! The Día de los Muertos Moving Image Ofrenda established a new tradition for us. We look forward to continuing this ENTRE tradition by participating in MOSTH’s annual community altar exhibition and working with different artists and contributors to design the ofrenda.
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So, why are home movies important? Because they are a method of storytelling, of capturing a feeling that cannot always be described, and of uncovering new information about ourselves and our communities. Home Movie Day brings people together, creating a wholesome and inspiring space to share memories and build upon the relationships that have carried us up until that moment.
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Here's to creating more memories for the next generation of ENTRE familia to enjoy!
Written by: C. Díaz, ENTRE Worker-Owner + Archive Project Manager
