Michael Aguirre

Michael Aguirre is the one man operation behind SEE IT ON 16MM. Aside from touring, SEE IT ON 16MM focuses on bringing the art form of film projection back to theaters and areas that are no longer equipped for it. Aside from touring film prints, Michael also is the producer of TRASH-MEX, which brings restored Mexican films back to theater screens. Yes, he is very tired.

[This interview has been edited for time and clarity]

Brett Ryan Bonowicz: So, I wanted to ask you first about the name See it on 16MM. Were there other names? Did you ever have a list or...how did that come about?

Michael Aguirre: I used to do digital programming. So this all started about like six, seven years ago. I used to do double features, one of the local like bar and cheesesteak places here in Orange County.

Michael laughs.

Michael Aguirre: The place was called A Bite of Jersey. And like once every two months I would throw a double feature and everyone would just come and party and hang out and everything like that. And, uh, at the time it was called, "What are we about to watch?"

Brett laughs

Michael Aguirre: And it was just, you know, it was, people went in blind. You just trusted me with whatever I was about to put on. And it was fun! They were parties. Like, they were literally just parties the entire time. Everyone was drinking and eating and talking shit on the movies and it was like, you know, I grew up with stuff like Mystery Science Theater 3000 and everything like that. So I found a lot of the movies from those that I really enjoyed that I didn't want to hear commentary tracks on. And I'm like, man, these fifties, sixties, like monster stuff are cheesy stuff. The Giant Gila Monster and stuff like that. Like, I actually really enjoyed it. I was like, I don't wanna hear these people talk shit on it, like this is an actual good movie. So it started with that and then I did that for like about a year or two and then took a break because I was in college at the time and finishing my bachelor's and...finished my bachelor's and it was really during the pandemic that I noticed like, well, you know, you went through it too. Everything was closed.

Brett Ryan Bonowicz: Yep.

Michael Aguirre: There were no cinemas or anything like that. So I would throw 16MM screenings in my backyard for me and my friends so we can actually be able to enjoy film on a big screen. We have like a 10x10 screen in my backyard and just projecting movies and everything like that. So it all kind of started when Trevor Dillon, he's the programming director for The Frida. I invited him over to my house during the pandemic, and he came for a double feature and we watched Death Wish and Rolling Thunder on 16MM. And he was like, you know, "Would you be interested in doing this at the theater?" The theaters were just starting to open back up and everything, and then, you know, I agreed. I was like, let's do it. I played The Funhouse for a member screening. And ever since then he was like, "Do you want to continue doing this? Do you want to show movies like this? And at the theater?" And I was like, absolutely. So I had to come up with a name. There's a big debate, and you'll get this, it's a big debate of is it "in 16MM" or is it "on 16MM? So I went with the lesser of the two because I thought it would be really funny to just say, "on 16" just to kind of throw people off. And that has been kind of the inside joke with the name if you are into film and everything like that is having it say "on 16MM." So the name is actually a joke and it's a little pun to kind of piss off people.

Brett laughs.

Michael Aguirre: So it was, you know, I've had people reach out being like, "Isn't it, you know, it's, it's technically 'in'" and it's like, I understand that, but this is like, though people may see it as, you know, it's improper, but it gained the attention of people. And that's all I wanted was I wanted people to pay attention to what the name is, even if they wanted to debate it a little bit. They're still paying attention, that was the main goal. So that name came from that. It's, it's a joke. So "See it on 16MM", even though technically I guess it should be "See it in 16MM". So that's where the name came from. And I've stuck with it since, and people seem to like it. And then the people that are collectors or very technical people, do make a comment on it. And I'm like, fine. That, that is exactly what I wanted. I wanted you to make a comment on the name.

I'm doing an event with the Philosophical Research Society over in Los Feliz. The head of there is Dennis Bartock, who is from the Aero and the Cinemateque and everything like that. And even on the flyers that they made for us, it says presented on 16MM. So I'm just kind of like, I'm at a loss for it. I know a lot of people because, you know, New Beverly says "in 35" that it's supposed to be that. And like, uh, I'm just going against the grain a little bit with this and just saying "on"

Brett Ryan Bonowicz: Dennis was one of the writers of that book---

Michael Aguirre: Right. A Thousand Cuts.

Brett Ryan Bonowicz: Yeah! That's a great book. I read that and then I listened to the audio book again. It’s fantastic. Such a window.

Michael and Brett Laugh.

Michael Aguirre: Yeah. That book kind of read to me as like a cautionary tale

Brett Ryan Bonowicz: Yes.

Michael Aguirre: Of like, here's what, here's what happens if you get too obsessed. And, I read it and that was the first thing I did. I was like, I approached the book being like, oh, this is gonna be great to be able to delve into film collecting and the collectors before us and everything like that. And then you read everything and you're like, oh, this is, this is a warning of what not to do.

Brett Ryan Bonowicz: I mean, it's also, it's kind of scary, like looking at, um, like the FBI being involved and, you know, like having your house raided because you had these films, you know? Like, oh my God. I can't imagine how stressful and, and horrible that had to have been. You know?

Michael Aguirre: During the pandemic, I interviewed a lot of these collectors, even some from the boards that you may know, that you've probably bought films from. Edward Anastasio. He was actually approached by the FBI at one point. And I interviewed him and he told me the whole story and everything. Basically he unloaded his house, into a van. Because he knew that they were coming and then they approached him and he was leaning on the van, telling them "Hey, you can go look in the house for everything."

Brett Ryan Bonowicz: Holy shit...

Michael Aguirre: So like, he knew everything was in the van, he knew everything was safe. And you would have these collectors that would mislabel stuff also, and there'd be like a stolen print, and they're putting like, you know, "three stooges" So when they see the film leader, it says Three Stooges, and they're not gonna inspect that shit. You know what I mean? I literally have 13 interviews done that are about two to three hours each that I still need to edit and everything of like these collectors and everything, and them telling their stories, everyone from like Mark Heller to, Anastasio, to Paul Tia from Big Reel and everything. So I'm hoping to get around to it at some point and be able to edit those because I would like for people to kind of hear this stuff.

Brett Ryan Bonowicz: So you said that you had been doing digital screenings at the beginning of like presenting stuff publicly. And then during the pandemic it was on 16. So how at what point did you start...you said for years you've done projector restoration. I wanna know how that stuff started. Did you have projectors before that? When did you become aware that you were seeking out film screenings?

Michael Aguirre: When I was doing digital stuff, I was going to screenings and stuff at like, the Aero or New Beverly and places like that. And I was not really into film too much. Like, I knew what it was, I knew it existed. And one of the first things I saw was a 35MM print of Sleepaway Camp. And this was during I believe Cinematic Void at the Aero. They did like a Camp Triple feature. And I remember seeing the print and being like, "What the hell is wrong with this? This is RED. Like, like, it's red and there is a line down the middle." I'm like "I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure this wasn't, uh, this wasn't the way it was supposed to be seen." And just doing, digging, and talking to people, I'm like starting to learn what Eastman stock is and knowing what it does when it fades to red and everything like that. It was eyeopening to me, but then at the same time it was just kind of like "I never wanna see that again." But then as time went on, I'm realizing like a lot of these prints, like that was the only way that you were able to see them on actual film, the way that they were intended to be watched when they first came out. So there were moments like that where I... it was a learning experience for me. And I remember the first time I bought a bunch of 35MM trailers, it was a bunch of rare stuff like An American Werewolf in London. And I received all the trailers, and I just remember looking at it being like, "Why are they all red?" And I actually messaged the guy I bought it from, this guy in Utah, and I was like, "Hey dude, like, these are all red, what's going on? And he was like, well, you know, if you're buying at this rate, like I thought you would understand these were printed in 1981 before everything kind of switched over to, uh, low fade in 1982. You know, color doesn't stay the same unless it's like a low fade, LPP or even IB Tech. Um, so like, that was a learning experience for me. And like ever since then, I've been able to appreciate it a lot more and understanding why stuff fades. And for me, I'm the type of person that I don't mind fade now. I really don't. I'd rather, honestly, I'd rather watch something that's faded and has scratches, and is in pretty rough shape instead of watching a digital file of something that has, you know, pixelation pops or something like that. It takes me out of it. I'm sorry. Like, it doesn't matter how good the movie is, it takes me out of it. I am at that point in my life too, where I know there is a younger crowd coming out to these shows and everything, and they don't care anymore. I don't know how else to put it. They legitimately do not care if something is fading or if it has wear or something. Like, you know, last month over at the Frida Cinema, I played Summertime Killer 1972 Olivia Hussey, the movie that she did prior to Black Christmas. And it was a, it was a beat grindhouse print, but like, people still talk to me about that movie to this day, and I'm like, there's no other way we would've been able to see it. Because all there is, I think is like a bootleg DVD of like the VHS transfer. So like, once those transfers start happening, like quality kind of goes down. So even though this print was pretty beat, it was still probably one of the only times that it's ever gonna play this nice frankly, like, you know, projected on a, I believe it's a 30 foot screen at The Frida, and people got to watch it, how it was originally shown. And I just found this out after the show that when they installed the 16MM projectors at New Beverly, that was actually the first film that Quentin had played was Summertime Killer. I love the movie. It's an hour and 40 minutes of just, you know, that first half feels like a very trashy type of Italian crime movie. And then it goes into like this love hostage story afterwards. It was the most worn print that I've played for an audience, for like a paying audience. But not one person complained, everybody stayed in the lobby after I projected it and wanted to talk about the print. So I'm like, okay, if this is you know, projecting stuff like that still invokes people to be engaged and want to talk about the movie, then I don't see a problem with it but I know a lot of people, especially, other collectors in LA, see a problem with playing stuff like that, and they're like, "No! You only need to play the most pristine prints!" And it's like, for me, I'm just, this younger generation just wants to see stuff on film. They don't care if it's like the best presentation color-wise or condition wise, they're just in it for the experience.

Brett Ryan Bonowicz: I have to, I have to wonder if you're talking about people that are in their twenties or something, they've grown up with the internet, they've grown up with digital stuff. So they're actually seeing something that's like flawed and organic and, an actual like, art object versus a file, you know?

This interview will continue with a second part in the near future.