Presented by the Al Larvick Conservation Fund in partnership with the Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound at the Northwest Film Forum.

In Another Light marks the 10th anniversary of the Al Larvick Conservation Fund (ALCF). The national screening series showcases home movies and community recordings as vital records of cultural memory. From immigrant journeys to queer community life, from family milestones to artistic experimentation, the series demonstrates how personal media illuminates shared and distinct histories. Programs are presented at venues across the United States throughout 2025–2026, pairing digitized collections with live or pre-recorded music, and post-screening discussions.

ALCF presents its Artistic Impulses program from the series, an assemblage of collections shaped by themes of documentary and performance.

“Home movies are vital records of everyday lives—by saving them, we expand the historical record and share in one another’s experiences.” ~ ALCF

Program: Artistic Impulses (42 min)

While home movies traditionally capture domestic life, many makers used their cameras to tell stories, explore culture, and share visions with audiences both within and beyond family. The program highlights how makers used the camera as a tool for storytelling, experimentation, performance and cultural documentation.

Credits:
Curated by Kirsten Larvick & Kelly Burton
Edited by Kimberly Brown
Original Musical Score by Gene Pritsker

Program: MIPoPS Presents

Bumbershoot 1973 (Original format: EIAJ-1 (black and white, sound))
A montage of footage from the 1973 Bumbershoot festival at Seattle Center, created by the Seattle Arts Commission. The expanded five-day event featured over 200,000 attendees and highlighted local artists, musicians, and performers alongside the festival’s first film program. Includes scenes of jazz performances, Merce Cunningham teaching an open dance class, an interactive art installation created by Doris Chase, and an exhibit of participatory video and computer experiments.

Courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives

Sails & Trails (1931-1945) (Original format: 16mm (black and white, silent))
Two reels documenting the Parks Department’s Sails and Trails Club in the early 1930s, featuring hiking, recreation, and group outings. Founded in 1929 by Parks employee Pearl Powell, the club provided affordable outdoor adventures—like hiking, camping, skiing, and boating—for women, growing into a vibrant community centered on connection, skill-building, and access to the outdoors for working women.

Courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives

Iwao Matsushita Films (circa 1931–48) (Original format: 8mm (black and white, silent))
Iwao Matsushita (b. 1/10/1892) and his wife Hanaye Tamura (b. 3/9/1898) emigrated to Seattle in 1919 for Matsushita to pursue educational opportunities. Academia temporarily landed on the back burner for Matsushita, however, and he spent several years working as a cook, a hotel manager, and then in various positions for Mitsui and Company, a major Tokyo-based trading firm, which allowed him and Hanaye leisure time like the hike through Mt. Rainier National Park captured here. Featuring handwritten and typewritten titles throughout, often in both English and Japanese.

Courtesy of University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections

Edward and Jeanette Otsuka Film Collection (1952–57) (Original format: 16mm (color, silent))
The Otsuka family play in the snow, dance with cherry blossoms, hunts deer, perform in a play, attend the Seafair Parade, and take family portraits together. The outfits are all incredible, and frankly it is hard to overstate the beauty and color of this footage! It’s an irresistible time capsule of ’50s Seattle.

Courtesy of University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections

Hopfauf Home Movies (Original format: 8mm (color, silent))
These home movies were recorded by Chris Hopfauf, the grandfather of MIPoPS employees Emily and Libby Hopfauf. Shot in the late 1950s-early 1960s in North Dakota, these clips show family celebrations, outings, and road trips around the midwest.

Courtesy of Hopfauf Family Collection