Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend 12 Clomp Program
25 snips
Feb 19, 2026 
Joey Lifack, a Toronto film preservationist who restores and curates home-movie collections and interned at the Academy Film Archive. He shares stories about uncovering his grandparents’ 8mm reels. Conversations cover why old home movies feel so immediate, quirky client requests like masking relatives, shooting strangers on vintage cameras, and his film Ghost Camera.
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Home Movies As Micro-History
- Home movies convey micro-history more vividly than macro historical accounts.
- Joey Lifack says they create a strong sense of presence that transports viewers to past moments.
Innocence In Old Footage
- Older home footage shows an innocence absent from today's camera-savvy subjects.
- Joey notes people then were less ironic and more openly excited to be filmed.
Removing Family From Footage
- Clients sometimes request edits to erase estranged relatives from home movies.
- Joey describes cropping, mirroring, and softening edges to remove unwanted faces on request.