Melinda Stone is professor of media studies at the University of San Francisco.

This year's showcase of works by amateur film club members promises a lineup of legendary films, including a Sid Laverents gem, It Sudses and Sudses (1963, 9 mins), recently restored by the UCLA Film and Television Archive. What is it like to be the daughter of an amateur filmmaking enthusiast? Gail Sullivan, daughter of Westwood Movie Club member Lloyd Sullivan, joins us to screen two of her father's award-winning films, The Declaration (1958, 11 mins) and Flight to Fantasy (1960, 11 mins), and to talk about her experiences starring in these productions. Discovering The Arctic Circle Club (Colonel Alfred E. Strode, 1971, 13 mins, Sound on cassette) in the UC San Diego Factual Film Archive led me to the San Diego Amateur Movie Club, which recently stopped meeting because of declining membership. In honor of the club, we present their final production, The Man in Black (2000, 12 mins, Color, Video), a peek into the quirky humor of this extraordinary group of older people. As many of the established clubs close their doors, the amateur spirit lives on in newly formed groups like The Edinburgh Castle Film Night. Started by a group of young San Francisco filmmakers in 2004, ECFN's creative camaraderie connects it to the tradition of filmmaking begun by amateur clubs over sixty-five years ago. A selection of recent productions from ECFN will be screened, including In Service to the Waxen Moon by David Enos (2005, 5 mins, Video).