October 17 is Home Movie Day, followed by UNESCO’s International Audiovisual Heritage Day on October 27. The Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC) has digitized over 70 historical home movies from its moving image collection. These fragile films are now safely kept in the museum’s long term storage while their digitizations are made available for continuous viewing. These films present a unique perspective on Canadian history, highlighting generations of the Japanese Canadian Community and their resilience in a time of discrimination as well as in the post-redress era.
A recent addition to the moving image collection are films by the Uyeda Family of Nakusp (NNMCC 2025.1). This collection includes 33 home movies on 8 mm film created from 1957 to 1978, catalogued through generous support from the University of British Columbia’s Irving K. Barber BC History Digitization Program, the Uyeda Family estate, Gwendolyn Papov, and Roger Pratt.
8 mm film revolutionized home moviemaking by turning it into an accessible and affordable option for the average family to document everyday life. The small format allowed for a compact camera so the operator could take it out on the road, abroad, or use it in the comfort of their home. The camera’s user-friendly functions made it easy for anyone to use, so one could trade off with another family member to take turns being in the scene. What makes home movies so unique is that the camera operator is not just an observer but also the subject. The people being filmed would often look at the camera and react and talk to its operator. When we watch these films we sense this deeper connection to the people on screen. These are characteristics seen throughout the Uyeda family home movies.
Spanning over 20 years, the Uyeda family home movies captured the passage of time as portrayed by the change in fashion, car designs, the developing Nakusp landscape and the visible aging of the Uyeda family. What remains constant are the special occasions and events the family grounded themselves in, such as attending community parades, going on family vacations, and spending invaluable time together every Christmas day.
View the NNMCC’s digitized home movie collection on our Youtube channel @nikkeimuse.
