​Basement Films is proudly one of the few remaining first-generation micro-cinemas still in existence.
About Basement Films
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Basement Films is a non-profit, volunteer run organization that supports experimental, independent, and under-represented forms of film and videomaking. Our membership is made up of artists, activists, media makers and “film buffs.” Basement Films provides a forum for voices not heard in mainstream media. Since 1991, Basement Films has screened unique, moving-image work by artists from around the world... MORE
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Experiments in Cinema submissions are OPEN!
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Experiments in Cinema v19.8
In Person April 23-27, 2024
Online May 4-18, 2024
Basement Films archive moving to CNM
We're THRILLED to announce that the Basement Films film archive is moving to Central New Mexico Community College! The rockstar librarians at CNM are taking us into the fold, where we will work in conjunction to maintain the collection. We are relieved that our archive will remain intact and in Alluquerque, where the films can continue to be viewed, used, studied, and enjoyed by the community!
The archive will be in storage for the remainder of the year, but we will be open by appointment in 2024. The Basement Films collection is one of the few remaining film archives of its kind, and the largest in the Southwest. The archive comprises 7,000 16mm films from the Albuquerque Public Schools library and the South Broadway Cultural Center,as well as unique 8mm home movies, and more. Basement Films utilizes the archive for public film screenings, workshops, youth internships, and an annual artist residency funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
We're grateful for the six years we had at Mesa Del Sol as artists-in-residence in the UNM Film Department, and we'll miss the sunsets and the Rear Window view of Netflix's sound stages. We're excited for this new chapter and the new possibilities it affords!
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The Bryan Konefsky Fund is an annual award that was established to support moving image artists from around the world. The fund provides one award each year for an artist (30 years old or older) who has a project that, in some way, involves Albuquerque, New Mexico. Interested applicants should send inquiries to bkonefsky@gmail.com. There is no deadline, inquiries are accepted throughout the year.
THE BRYAN KONEFSKY FUND
​MICROCINEMA
The term "microcinema" was coined in the early 1990s by Rebecca Barton and David Sherman who founded Total Mobil Home Microcinema in San Francisco, which was in operation from 1993-1997. During the 1990s, “undependent” media artists (a term coined by My House microcinema owner Marc Moscato) discovered a robust circuit of microcinemas that popped up across the United States and around the world. As a result, filmmakers took to the road in much the same way that Punk Rock bands toured in the late 1970s. The venues were large and small—in the case of My House Cinema in Eugene, Oregon the screening room was located in Marc’s basement with the screen hung between his hot water heater and the furnace. A sold-out crowd at My House microcinema was 10 people—no more!
Presently, there is a second wave of microcinemas emerging and more artists are beginning to tour.
​ARCHIVE INFORMATION
Our projection equipment and film archive of more than 8,000 industrial, educational and ephemeral 16mm movies, 1000 8mm home movies and countless film strips are available for use by artists, filmmakers, and the community. The archive consists of media produced between the 1950’s and 1970’s which were used to socialize students, train employees and present a particular moral view of the world at community centers. Only recently are these films being saved and recognized for their historic value... MORE
