Kickstarter

The first annual Chicago 8 Small Gauge Film Festival will take place in Chicago this October 21-23, 2011. We are a film festival dedicated to exhibiting works on small gauge film with the care and professionalism they deserve.

This festival has been created to celebrate small gauge filmmaking, to offer a unique  event for Super 8 filmmakers to exhibit their work in its original format, and for viewers to experience the joy of seeing S8 the way it was intended. Our goal is to keep small gauge filmmaking alive, to encourage further activity in this format, and to provide an opportunity for these rare gems to be seen by the Chicago community. By fostering a continued interest in S8 as a viable, affordable, and a uniquely personal way in which to explore image making, we hope to inspire the next generation of small gauge filmmakers. 

Super 8 has an intimacy and charm that comes from its home movie history, it’s personal diaristic sensibility, its small compact size, and it’s unmistakable visual presence. Highly identifiable, Super 8  is known for its vibrant color, surface, texture, and unmistakable grain. It was the gauge that was mass- produced for the consumption of the average consumer. Projectors, cameras, and editing equipment were made for home use. The artists that use this small gauge format today intrinsically work with the knowledge of the special issues and hurdles that accompany this gauge.  In a time when one is able to work with digital video readily, on a tiny device, phone, or other hand held camera, this festival celebrates one of the first film formats with the same intentions, portability, accessibility, and ease of use. We intend to  offer a platform for those who bravely continue to work in this delicate celluloid format. 

With your donations we will:

Secure the use of multiple professional grade Super 8 projectors

Produce a festival catalogue and other print media 

Cover operational costs and to secure venue rentals

To learn more about us please visit Chicago8fest.org or contact us at info@chicago8fest.org