Preserving Eco-processed Films in Canada

Eco-processing is a method of filmmaking that incorporates organic material into the photochemical filmmaking process. This method is taken up in experimental filmmaking to engage with the materiality of the film and has a history of being used as a means of making an artistic commentary on the degradation of the environment. Eco-processing presents various challenges to preservation due to its unconventional approach to standard photochemical filmmaking. Additionally, in the Canadian context these challenges are exacerbated by there being no evident repository to collect and preserve independent, experimental films. The impetus to address the lack of infrastructure for preserving eco-processed films in Canada lies in these films' artistic and historical documentation of our geological age. By examining the information sharing networks within which experimental processes such as eco-processing flourish and archival models that emphasize living, active approaches to filmmaking, this MRP aims to demonstrate the possibilities of questioning standardization and prioritizing practitioner perspectives in film preservation.