I can scarcely believe that this weekend will mark the 25th anniversary of when this little rag made its first public appearance. The date was September 23, however it was the Sunday of this weekend when ESR officially debuted with its first three issues, at Canzine, held that year at the Big Bop. Why three issues? Because before I showed it to anyone, I wanted people to know I was serious about it (and perhaps convince myself as well).
Back then, The Eclectic Screening Room was a 40-page digest-sized quarterly zine. Over the years, the publication grew to a 60-page digest format, then to 32 or 40 pages tabloid size, although the frequency went bi-annual, until it became one new issue every year that usually debuted at Word on the Street in September. Still, if ESR had kept that format of a little quarterly zine, we would likely have been printing our 100th issue this month!
Well, we made it to 25 issues, plus three monographs, last printing in 2012. That is something to be proud of. Still, I lament that I couldn’t take this project farther. I never did break into the US, I waited too long to create a web presence (but that was because I preferred print so much), and due to increasing pressures in work life, I just didn’t have time or energy to do more (including podcasting and other social media).
The publishing landscape has changed considerably over time, with presses big and small folding up while people favour content (such as it is) on their phones. However, since ESR last ran through the rollers, there has been a renaissance of print zines, although the big venues are no longer around and distribution has dried up. Instead, publishers must rely on print-on-demand through Scamazon, or they can set up their own stores online in places like Etsy and use social media to promote them (which in a way is a return to the grassroots kind of promotion that zines are all about).
Last night, I revisited the old blog, and shook my head at how many posts I’ve devoted to ESR’s big comeback, which never materialized. And this is another. 2026 has been a dreadful year, health-wise and money-wise, which has infringed on my desire to publish (let alone write) anything for this silver jubilee. Still, in true indie fashion, we’re trying. And now that the fall is here, our most creative season of the year, we’re rekindling that passion.
If this post sounds negative or self-defeating, let me add: I owe a lot to ESR. Most of my current social circle exists because of this magazine, and for that I’ll be eternally grateful. Can we still call it a 25th anniversary, if nothing has been published since 2012? Yes, because ESR is not just about print, or a physical place and time, it’s also a frame of mind- and with that, a set of values that I continue to uphold.
In a way, ESR has come full circle. It’s back to zero, as much of our readership and contributors have probably given up on our renewal attempts. We’re starting all over again, planting some new seeds to see where they were grow this time. So if we’re new to you, or you’re a fan from the old days, welcome! We hope you enjoy taking the trip with us.
And thank you.
Greg Woods
Greg Woods has been a film enthusiast since his teens, and began his writing "career" at the same time- prolific in capsule reviews of everything he had watched, first on index cards, then those hardcover dollar store black journals, then an old Mac IIsi. He founded The Eclectic Screening Room in 2001, as a portal to share his film love with the world, and find some like-minded enthusiasts along the way. In addition to having worked in the film industry for over two decades, he has been a co-programmer of films at Trash Palace, and a programmer/co-founder of the Toronto Film Noir Syndicate. He has also written for Broken Pencil, CU-Confidential, Micro-Film, and is currently working on his first novel. His secret desire is for someone to interview him for a podcast or a DVD extra.