WFG Presents

Chasing Moons:
New Digitizations from the Winnipeg Film Group Vault

Essay by: Skye Callow

Chasing Moons offers a selection of films that are deeply connected through a physical source point. All of these films have been safely held in a deep, dark, and beautiful vault at the Winnipeg Film Group (WFG) for a varied amount of years, with the oldest film being from 1979. Each of these films have been preserved and translated from their original physical formats, [including Super 8mm,16mm, and U-matic] into new digitized copies in an effort to extend and expand each film's life and aura. This translation of media effectively creates a portal through time and expands our collective memory of our independent filmmaking community both locally and internationally.

Many of the works featured in Chasing Moons have been deemed “orphaned.” This means that the WFG has either lost contact with a filmmaker, or that our information about an artist or artists involved is incorrect or misrecorded. This online collection radiates these films out into the ever-expansive landscape of the internet, and there is a small hope we may reconnect with some of the filmmakers through this avenue of exhibition. So, to our beloved filmmakers, If you’re out there, we would love to hear from you.

By viewing these films today we have the opportunity to re-engage with the works and to think through questions of access, power, and priority within the artist-run center archive and collection. Who chooses what is cared for and what is not?

This effort to digitize the films in the vault at the WFG grants increased access to the films, making accessible to the public what was previously inaccessible. A reconsideration of these works in a contemporary context is facilitated, and one of the resulting questions that arises is “why had these films fallen into the shadows while others stayed in the light?” The WFG Archive/Counter-Archive (A/CA) Case Study aims to identify and support the care and preservation of films within the archive that are created by artists and filmmakers whose life experiences tend to be underrepresented across the Canadian film and media milieu.

Throughout Chasing Moons, shadows of the digitization process can be seen cast upon these versions of the films. The physicality of the format becomes evident for those of us who are looking. As Marshal McLuhan said:

"The medium is the message."

For instance, Sijjil (Yasmin P. Karim, 1995) is reminiscent of the bright and eccentric moods of the 90s. It is packed with nostalgia underscored by the imperfections caused by the process of digitizing the original U-matic tape. These marks from the media are embedded within this version of the film, showing its history of transference and preservation. This beautiful animation conducts a pure celebration of shape and form, and its whimsy can be enjoyed by all who view it. The U-matic version of Sijjil was discovered on a lone tape within an unmarked box in the WFG vault. There had been no record of any copy being held at the WFG, yet here it was. Databases can tell us very different things than what we find when physically moving through collections and archives. In artist-run centers specifically, members and employees come and go, funding is green lit and then cut, and as a result internal projects can often be forgotten or left unfinished.

Artist-run center archives and collections are filled with magic. They are at times littered with handwritten notes and earnest artworks that are doorways into other times and other minds. It’s important that these archives are cared for, and that we reflect on what’s being remembered today. Through initiatives such as this, we have the opportunity to reinterpret the record and we must be diligent to see the multitude of perspectives that are held within it. Our histories are fluid, and too much is often forgotten. It is crucial to reflect upon alternative histories and counter-archives as it allows a more cohesive understanding of the present and past, and it can support the creation of a more equitable and loving future. 

Chasing Moons is a collection of films from the WFG archive that have been given new energy through digitization and preservation, all for the intention of having them be seen. There is a new dialog created between these works and the rest of the WFG archive. What does it say to you? Enjoy their beauty, the mark of the format, and the signs of the times. 

We graciously give thanks to the Archive/Counter-Archive research network and the Vulnerable Media Lab for making this project possible. We also thank the Young Canada Works at Building Careers in Heritage Program.

- Skye Callow