The 1938 International Amateur Movie Show

The “International Amateur Movie Show” was presented at Columbia University (New York) on April 6, 1938. Amateur movie organizations around the world submitted their best films for the screening, and ultimately 10 films from 9 different countries were presented. The screening thus provides evidence of the emerging global network of amateur cinema organizations in the 1930s.

The screening was curated by a New York insurance broker and amateur filmmaker, Duncan MacD Little, who had been organizing an annual “Movie Party” of polished films since 1929. By the mid-1930s these annual events had become a significant event that attracted audiences of several hundred people. When Little announced his desire to organize a program of international amateur films, Columbia University’s Department of Extension offered their support and ultimately included the Show in their 1937/8 “Motion Picture Parade,” a year-long film appreciation series of lectures and screening. Little organized the Show by putting out a call to amateur movie organizations around the world inviting them to submit their best films for the screening. The result was a screening of 10 films from 9 different countries (two films came from Scotland- one a last-minute addition).

The films in the program present a wide range of different subjects and approaches to amateur filmmaking, from chronicles of surrounding places, to polished fictional works, to experimental anti-war films. The films also present different production modes (individual filmmakers, collective/club productions). Three of the original ten were color films. Some of the films were previous winners in the American Cinematographer amateur movie contests, while others were prize winners in Europe or elsewhere. The variety of types and international origins of these films would have stood in stark contrast to the Hollywood fare presented at commercial movie theatres during this time.

Program for The 1938 International Amateur Movie Show

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