PERF Cinema, Knoxville's new 'film on film' club, leans into nostalgia

PERF Cinema, Knoxville's new 'film on film' club, leans into nostalgia

Gen Z audiences are seeing more movies in theaters, and there's a resurgence in older formats of entertainment like vinyl records and "films on film."

Locally, Central Cinema shows about one movie a month on 16mm film. Chroma Knox has experimented with free "film on film" screenings. Regal is beginning to show films on 35mm in larger markets like New York City, plus "The Odyssey" has become an IMAX 70mm juggernaut.

Now, PERF Cinema is Knoxville's first "film on film" club.

PERF is run by librarian Grace Winburne and Janine Winfree, assistant audiovisual archivist at the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound. The two also host their own film podcast called Checkout Cinema.

While it's women-led, PERF is "not just for the girls," Winburne said.

"(Knoxville's film spaces) are so welcoming and they’re so inviting, but wouldn’t it be nice if people could see two women spearheading a film movement, or at least a film club, in town?” she told Knox News.

The two will primarily show 16mm film and they're planning their first showing in September. They'd like to work with local independent movie house Central Cinema to schedule screenings, or bars like Ricky's or The Public House.

PERF Cinema aims to stand apart from Knoxville film spaces

On June 17, Winburne was invited to introduce Chroma Knox's screening of Kenneth Anger's short film "Fireworks" and Gregg Araki's feature film "Nowhere."

After the screening, she and Winfree were sharing about Checkout Cinema and their connections to Knoxville's film scene − including Winfree's work at TAMIS − but it felt off.

“It was kind of this feeling of us having to announce our own pedigree and credentials, and then also this sort of feeling of like, yes, we participate in these film spaces, but it's only at the request or behest of someone else instead of on our own terms," Winburne shared with Knox News.

The next day, the two reconvened with the idea of starting their own club, and Winfree had a name and a logo fully realized. PERF comes from film strip perforations − the little square holes that help film strips keep steady and move through the projector − and the pink color is a nod to the magenta color dye used in film prints, as the dye is usually the last of three to break down over time.

“We're not projectionists," Winfree said. "We're perfectionists."

Through PERF, the two are establishing their own seats in the movie theater instead of waiting for someone else to invite them. They stand apart from what the other film spaces in town regularly offer, and it feeds into the growing hunger for film screenings.

“I also think there is a new nostalgia for things that people haven't experienced,” Winfree said. It's sparked “a whole generation of film lovers” who have never watched movies projected on film and are now demanding it, she said.

Winfree owns three prints herself: "To Kill a Mockingbird," "Some Like It Hot" and the animated TV film "The Hobbit."

Winfree's dream film print − the one that got away − is the late Rob Reiner's "When Harry Met Sally..." while Winburne yearns to show David Lynch's "Wild at Heart" even if it means dabbling in 35mm projecting. Winfree talks to film collectors to ensure their prints will be handled with care and offering to cover shipping on loans. Her preservation certificate helps.

The response has been overwhelming, and it's a far cry from the time of "secrecy among film collectors," Winfree said, noting how the FBI "would do raids of film collectors because of copyright." It's why Winburne and Winfree want to work with a group like Central Cinema to assist with licensing and find films in the public domain.

“We're ready to roll up our sleeves and put on our little white gloves and get to work," Winburne said.

PERF Cinema wants to 'decentralize' projecting films

Winburne will take on a remote role as she begins the 10-month certification program at the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation in New York. When she returns, she'll hold the same certificate as Winfree.

They don't want their club to feel exclusionary or like the audience has to "have a certain academic pedigree" to attend screenings, Winfree said.

"I like watching movies," she said. "I like experiencing something new. I like really being immersed in a story. I am in no means a film snob, and I never want to make someone feel like they don’t know enough to talk to me."

As they get more established, the two would like to teach people how to project films in an effort to “decentralize the film-on-film movement.” Each print is different with its own quality, wear and journey as it runs through the projector. "Every print tells a story," Winfree said.

"I think one of the biggest appeals of film projection to me is that every time you watch the film on film, you're seeing something a little bit different," Winfree said. "Every time it's shown, no matter how good a projectionist is, there's going to be a different experience in terms of the image quality, just little tiny things that can go right or go wrong during projection."

PERF Cinema plans to host its first screening in September.

“We want to add to and expand to this community," Winburne said. "We hope that people walk away feeling empowered to come back and to continue to experience film on film, film on digital, film on VHS, film with friends.”

Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email: keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.

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