Cambridge Memories

Back in 1986 a chap named Richard Crooks filmed his Haverhill to Cambridge car trip, which might seem incredibly boring. But when locals watch the film over 20 years later they realise how much the world has changed. In a shot looking out of the front window, got example, one notices the absence of Parkside Pool or a now non-existent roundabout at the junction of East Road and Mill Road.

It's this unexpected historical side-effect of amateur films which has led to the creation of the new archive programme called Cambridge Memories at this year's Cambridge Super 8 Film Festival taking place on Saturday 2nd May at the University Social Club on Mill Lane. The section organiser, Anne-Laure Cano, passionately describes this feeling. "Suddenly you can see people dressed up in 1970s or 1950s clothes" she said in a telephone interview. "The content doesn't have to important. Just seeing an image 50 years old makes it magic."

Crooks' film won't be screening but it demonstrates ably the sense of wonderment old films can induce. The magic arises in part because viewers can see more than a static photograph but only what the filmmaker decides to show them.

Before mobile phones with cameras, even before video cameras there was only really one film format for home movies: Super 8mm and its predecessor Standard 8mm. Released in 1932 and 1965 respectively the formats dominated the home movie market until the early 1980s when video took over. For a period of about 50 years the only way to record home movies was on 8mm film format. And all of these films represent a priceless historical record. As Cano said, the festival "finds it important to rescue them and give them a second life."

Putting out a call for films shot in Cambridge and Cambridgeshire earlier in the year generated a positive response and the Cambridge Super 8 Group will be showing these off at the festival. Several of the film-makers themselves will also be coming along to the screening to discuss them. For the future the project is seeking funding from Screen East. If this succeeds, a permanent archive can be created and the group would like to organise mobile screenings to show these off around the county.

In the run-up to the festival, Cano has been overwhelmed with films and she still hadn't finalised the programme. Submissions have mainly consisted of what you might expect: films shot at Christmas, people on holidays, takes on the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 when there were street parties across the country and endless views of rowing and punting. At present her favourite is a "wonderful film" shot in 1957 in Cambridge of King's Parade by a student at the time. Films continue to flow in - and it's quite possible that something magical might arrive in the post at any moment.

Cambridge Memories takes place at the Cambridge Super8 Film Festival on Saturday 2nd May 2009 at 3pm