Own a piece of Hollywood!

I came across an exciting find while exploring the Portland Saturday Market recently: bags and accessories made from prints of 35mm Hollywood films.

After a movie finishes its theatrical run, distributors are obliged to destroy the physical film. Déjà Bags founder Julie Lewis had the wonderfully simple idea of asking for the reels instead. She cuts the film into strips - thereby complying with copyright laws - and transforms them into unique, practical collector’s items. Lewis uses films made from the late 1980s onward, as they are polyester, which is far more durable than earlier acetate or celluloid stock. The bags and accessories are sewn by a women’s fair-wage cooperative in the Philippines.

Each piece is a mix of different Hollywood movies, although some handbags are made entirely from a single popular film, such as Twilight or Slumdog Millionaire. The range includes large tote bags, purses, clutches, belts, ties, and even lampshades.



Not being much of an accessories person, I chose a lampshade - the perfect way to enjoy film frames every day. A standard feature film runs at 24 frames per second, so not every strip contains a recognisable image. I examined several before settling on one that appears to be made entirely from the Nicolas Cage film Ghost Rider. That said, owning an authentic Hollywood film reel is thrilling in itself, whether you recognise a specific scene or not.

I don’t actually have a lamp yet - a trip to IKEA is clearly required - but I think you'll get the idea from this picture...

    

Which brings me neatly to a message for any family or friends reading this: if you ever feel the urge to surprise me, my favourite Hollywood films from the late ’80s onward include Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Dead Poets Society, Beetlejuice, Steel Magnolias, the Back to the Future trilogy, and Rain Man… though the list could go on.

There is, however, a limited supply. Julie estimates that there are only two or three years’ worth of film left. Before long, movies will exist solely in digital form—and these objects will be rare, tangible relics of the final years of 35mm cinema.

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