CineSea's 25th gathering was held from Thursday, October 6th thru Sunday, October 9th, 2022. CineSea is not really a film 'convention' and is far smaller than the Blackpool event of last year. So all of us consider it more of a film gathering--a small get-together of around 45 film collectors and film fans. I think there were about a dozen tables offering films and equipment for sale as well as all of the film-watching. Most of the attendees are 'regulars' from the East Coast, but there were also guests from Florida, Ohio, and even Texas. It is held in the town of Wildwood Crest, New Jersey twice annually in the Spring and the Fall. Wildwood Crest is on the Atlantic Ocean and is very much like Blackpool probably was in the good old days. There is an amusement park, a boardwalk, many restaurants, and other tourist activities. Since it is the end of the tourist season, many places have closed down for winter, but it didn't impact us in any way, and it was far less crowded and hectic as a result. Things worked out so I was able to come from Minnesota to this Fall's event.

It really is a fantastic and enjoyable time. Thursday evenings we watch short films based on a selected theme. This year's theme was movies about movies. So films like Reflections UK, Precious Images, behind-the-scenes digests, cartoons, and much more were shown. No features this night as everything has to be under 20 minutes in length. I counted 17 different films screened just on Thursday evening! Many of which I hadn't seen before.

For Friday, attendees vote on previously nominated titles for the feature show. This year's winner was a 35mm print of "The Unseen". "The Unseen" is a horror/suspense film starring Barbara Bach. IMDB's summary: A trio of female reporters finds themselves staying overnight in a house occupied by a hostile being lurking in the basement. We also had a special guest, Bob Furmanek. Bob Furmanek has restored many features--many of which were 3D. One of his recent projects was restoring the CineColor version of "Abbott & Costello's Jack in the Beanstalk". Bob talked about the challenge of tracking down original film elements which are then scanned and digitally cleaned up as necessary. Bob also provided another presentation (done by Jack Theakston) of the incredibly overly-complex CineColor film process. We watched the Blu-Ray version on the big screen and it is actually a fun family film.

Next up we had film documentary maker Peter Flynn talk about his latest project which is tentatively titled "Viva Film". Peter's previous film-themed documentary was "Dying of the Light". That title talked about the demise of the 35mm film projectionist. It was very well done and has been out on DVd for a few years now. His current project is more oriented toward those who collect film. Peter shared the current working version and it was excellent. Peter is a film studies professor at Emerson College in Massachusetts. After the show, Dave Baker hosted an open bar with snacks, and other collectors brought cakes and treats, and beverages as well.

Saturday morning, the dealer tables are open for business. I picked up an LPP "Flintstones" episode, a 16mm reel of commercials, and a low-fade educational film about "Food". The total for these was $60. A nice selection of Super 8 and 16mm titles at decent prices. After our group dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, the evening film show kicked off. Attendees bring in a variety of 35mm, 16mm, and Super 8 films (all less than 20 minutes in length, but most are shorter than that). Films run non-stop--when one ends another film gauge fires up the projector. This lasted until 1:30 in the morning. A lot of fun, and a chance to see a great variety of titles as an audience member and not as the projectionist which is what most of us usually are.

Sunday morning people depart for home and start making plans to attend the next CineSea event. A lot of fun, and kind people are CineSea regulars which makes this event a gathering of friends who love and collect films.
Here are some pics from the event:

That 35mm machine is superb, never seen such a compact projector on that format before,Mark

What a great weekend, (nice long weekend) of film and cine enthusiasts gathering together. Just look at that view outside!!!
As Mark said, that 35mm projector looks great, the one gauge i would love to add here but 16 and 8 are more than enough.
Thanks for putting this up Greg, it looks a very good venue and clearly everyone had a great time which is what it's all about.

Mark and Tom,

Yes, the 35mm projector is fantastic. Since it is a 'portable' it has an integrated amp, and a smaller P1-X30 iRem Xenon light power supply which is also portable. It all fits in some heavy-duty wheeled equipment boxes, and fits in the back of a van.
What I have heard is the projector etc. was going to be binned. so Geoffrey Curtis volunteered to take it.

Looks like you had a great time! Some familiar people there as well. And meeting all the people is what makes such gatherings or conventions great!

Greg,great pictures and obviously everyone had a great time.As said,what a great working portable 35mm projector great to have a variety of formats,and to have 20mins worth of film at a time makes for interesting viewing.
Very nice great fun for all.