ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Thousands of hours of New Mexico history in one of the state’s largest film archives is at risk of being lost.
“They’re important artifacts in terms of how we thought about certain things at a particular moment in time,” said nonprofit “Basement Films” Founder and Director Bryan Konefsky.
Konefsky is the one who has been responsible for looking over more than 10,000 film reels for the last seven years. They have been housed in the basement of a University of New Mexico (UNM) Film Department building out in Mesa Del Sol for free, but that won’t be the case in the near future.
“We were told a couple of months ago that we would have to have everything stored until May because the building is being renovated,” Konefsky said.
However, after a recent announcement from UNM, he said he needs to find a new home for the films, and he doesn’t have much time to move it as the space must be empty by October 1.
“It’s a very dire situation,” Konefsky stated.
Some of the reels are old family movies, and others are educational and cultural. A lot of the films go all the way back to the early 1900s. If he doesn’t find a space, he said he will need to get rid of the archive.
He’s wanting to partner with someone that can offer him a 1,000-square-foot space for the reels and has an open call out for help now.
Konefsky said the films are consistently used and requested by scholars, community members, and students in the area. He added that he has been in talks with some groups and has plans lined up to give away some of the films to reduce the amount.
News 13 reached out to the University of New Mexico Film Department to ask what is causing them to take back the space. They stated it will be turned into a classroom, which was its original purpose.
You can find more information about “Basement Films” and how to contact them here.
