This year, Americana pays tribute to the legacy of VHS through its visual identity. An analog format that placed an immeasurable collection of cinematic gems within reach of Gen X and early millennials. Among those cinephiles shaped by videotapes is Alex Ross Perry (Her Smell).
A former employee of the legendary Kim’s Video in New York, Ross Perry signs Videohaven, a monumental video essay that vindicates the historical value of VHS while tracing the rise and fall of the video rental business through its representation in North American cinema.
Videohaven will delight cinephiles, as Ross Perry constructs a nearly three-hour nostalgic journey that begins with Videodrome (David Cronenberg) and the Z-series films of Troma Entertainment, and extends to Clerks (Kevin Smith) and Be Kind Rewind (Michel Gondry). A fascinating trajectory that reveals how the cinematic depiction of the video store evolves in parallel with the industry’s real-life transformation.
Credits
Year: 2025
Runtime: 173′
Country: USA
Direction: Alex Ross Perry
Screenplay: Alex Ross Perry
Subtitles: Pedro Juan Galán Martín
Genre: Documentary
Contact: Alex Ross Perry
Wins & nominations
2025 | Oak Ckiff Film Festival
2025 | American Film Festival Wroclaw
