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THE OFFICIAL ARCHIVES OF BUFFALO FILM ACADEMY
Established in 1934 as the Amateur Cinema Club of Buffalo
THAT WAS THEN
Over the handful of decades when small gauge film was the only game in town, regulars who attended “Movie Club” consistently encouraged and aided its aspiring filmmakers. The product was not just homemade movies but what some may say endures as 20th-Century folk art.
Once a month, these ambitious hobbyists (with some pros in the mix) started meeting in Downtown Buffalo at the Statler Hotel. Travelogues, dramatic works, documentaries . . . you name it, they were producing it. Then screening it in front of their peers, before socializing at the end of each meeting.
THIS IS NOW
Fast forward to 2025. With the age of the organization nearing triple digits, and at a time when digital has settled in as the norm, it is a prime chance take a look back and celebrate the group’s sprocket-holed legacy.
What’s remarkable-plus about the present Buffalo Film Academy is that it just may be the oldest cinematography club in North America still meeting, a real boost to its place in the collective picture.
Even though it has run mostly under the radar, with a handful of name changes and venues over the decades, the Club has steadily played a role in nurturing our local independent filmmaking community.
Its monthly meetings, workshops, and screenings have been a magnet for creative expression and technical expertise, sparking camaraderie and collaboration among members from any skill level, all walks of life, and every background.
THE HEAVIEST LIFT
Along the way, the Club archives have accumulated both raw footage and finished film productions from several past members.
The EZ16 gave us a chance to go from unknown to known . . . and expose a sampling of these gems to light again for the first time in decades.
Formal efforts to digitize the collection began in 2024. Thanks to a pivotal collaboration with Filmic Technologies, our organization managed to obtain a rental version of their OEM film inspection device for a few weeks. The EZ16 gave us the ability to go from unknown to known . . . and expose a sampling of these gems to light again for the first time in decades. We now have several dozen films digitally transferred. That is only the first step, though, on the path to getting these original works by local filmmakers screened once again. Creating a presentation copy with any audio or soundtrack that still exists is a chore and will require major time and resources, even for the batch we scanned.
BILLIONS AND BILLIONS
As for the total number of flims in the archive, we’re not talking just a handful here. Hundreds of 8mm, Super 8, and 16mm reels hold immense historical and cultural significance. Combined with decades of dedication in the form of CAMERAMA newsletters—plus additional audio, photos and print media—our archives are finally taking the first step to digital.
Those eventually able to experience these assets will get an instant, indelible glimpse at the 1930s–1980s sweet spot of filmmaking, in Buffalo and beyond.
Boosting that is the first in a series of student internships that are bound to help tell our story, starting in 2025 and continuing through future semesters. Their efforts are an important part of the journey toward getting these Club films back in the limelight, and we invite you to track their progress in future blog entries.
Here is the first chance for this generation and others to take in moments, landmarks, and stories that would otherwise be forfeited to time.
GOING LONG
When the assets go digital, possibilities blossom. Once word gets out that our club has a trove of viewable movies and footage, we would like it to reach journalists, local historians, genealogists, documentary producers, and other artists. Plus educational institutions, libraries, and TV/streaming.
Here is the first chance for this generation and others to take in moments, landmarks, and stories that would otherwise be forfeited to time.
AND ON AND ON
We are archives1934.org, still having fun here in Western NY State.
STAY TUNED!