An award ceremony took place for the winners of the Grant Program for projects aimed at researching culture of Ukraine. The award and the grant were offered to the coordinator of the Urban Media Archive Oleksandr Makhanets, with his project "8mm: Privat Practices of Film Amateurs in Lviv and in Ukraine."
The research project has an objective to study the culture of film amateur practices, social and individual practices related with the use of film cameras designed for mass use; to identify genre and conventional peculiarities of vernacular records; to define the role of material component in media and technology in the shaping of this phenomenon. The project includes theoretical research and search for new materials, as well as running a series of oral history interviews, Moreover, it will become the basis for publication and development of a concept for the exhibition.
Amateur films are an important part of collections of the Urban Media Archive. In particular, the Home Video Days gave been organized for four years already. It is a celebration of amateur films run each October in many places of the world. Owners of private archives have a unique opportunity to digitalize them free of charge, and further jointly view them. This year, in addition to film screenings of the discovered videos, the agenda for Home Video Days included lectures on peculiarities of genres, practices, and formats of vernacular films.
The Grant Program for projects studying the culture of Ukraine is run by Lviv City Council for the first time. We are happy to have been awarded, and cheer for all the winning projects! Read more on the program and the projects on the website of the city council.
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Сover Image: Urban media archive