There was a time when the films you loved weren’t found through algorithms, but by wandering into a mom-and-pop VHS store, digging through a garage sale box, or picking up a discarded cassette on the side of the road. Those moments of discovery—accidental, imperfect, deeply personal—are what Basement Tapes is trying to revive.
Basement Tapes is a celebration of the strange, the scrappy, the unforgettable, and the hilarious. We curate our screenings the same way we once searched for movies: by sifting through a worthy mixed bag and trusting our instincts. For the audience, the experience is similar—encountering a range of films and finding the ones that resonate most, that stick, that feel like they were meant just for you.
The series showcases independent films and media in their raw, absurd, offsetting forms: moving Iranian meta-cinema, touching personal, Serbian docs, psychedelic animation from Finland, out-of-nowhere comedic voices, local auteurs, etc.
Now hosted at the Jacob Burns Film Center, one of the most successful suburban art houses in the country, Basement Tapes continues to be a home for bold, offbeat work—and for audiences who still believe the best discoveries happen when you don’t quite know what you’re going to find.
Every filmmaker in attendance will receive a personalized VHS Award—no two tapes alike.
