( Rules, etc. )
Sticky: 2025 Schedule, Intro, and Rules
Jun. 29th, 2025 02:34 amClassic Film Exchange is what it says on the tin: an exchange for fandoms in movies released before 1/1/1980. This date doesn't mean that no "classic" films were released after January 1, 1980, merely that it serves as a useful cut-off to allow less frequently requested and written fandoms to get the attention they deserve!
The challenge is fic only and is open to films from any nation in any language, but the fic must be in English.
When considering the release date of a movie that came out close to the end of the eligibility window, please use the release in the country of origin; if a film was released in a different country before 1/1/1980, please let the mods know at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com so we can verify it.
AO3 Collection | Rules | Tagset | AO3 app
Schedule (each phase closes at 10pm UTC +2)
September 26 27 - collection goes live [countdown | in your time zone]
October 3 - Author reveals [countdown | in your time zone]
( Rules, etc. )
Creators Revealed
Oct. 3rd, 2025 02:43 pm Creators have been revealed, which brings this round of CFX to an end. If you have not yet commented on your gift, please do so ASAP. Many thanks to everyone who participated, and extra thanks to our pinch-hitters!
Comments are screened, so please feel free to share suggestions or ideas for next year. We'll see you then!
Comments are screened, so please feel free to share suggestions or ideas for next year. We'll see you then!
Collection is live!
Sep. 27th, 2025 03:00 pm The collection is live!
If you run into any issues — if, for example, your gift violates a DNW from your signup, or you don't have a gift at all — please let us know either by email at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com or by commenting here (comments are screened).
Enjoy your gifts, and please make an effort to make your authors aware of your appreciation! Comments are crucial.
All of our pinch hits are in feverishly working hands (if you have free hands and a hankering to be doing some writing, don't forget about the treats for pinch-hitters post!), so the collection is currently set to open on time. HOWEVER, due to the planned AO3 outage (thanks to everyone who pointed it out) which is scheduled to be in progress at our reveal time, we are going to delay reveals for 24 hours, until September 27.
We have a number of new pinch hits in need of homes! They are due at 10pm UTC +2 on Wednesday 24 September [countdown | in your time zone]. To claim, please either comment below (comments are screened) or email us at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com.
PDPH #1: Аэли́та | Aelita: Queen of Mars (1924), If I Had a Million (1932), Vivacious Lady (1938), (La) Fille du Diable | Devil's Daughter (1946), Adam's Rib (1949), The Night of the Hunter (1955)
PDPH #2:To Have and Have Not (1944), West Side Story (1961), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962), What a Way To Go! (1964), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), What's Up Doc? (1972)
PDPH #3:My Man Godfrey (1936), His Girl Friday (1940), Rebecca (1940), Harvey (1950), The Lion in Winter (1968), Klute (1971), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Superman (1978), Love at First Bite (1979), The Muppet Movie (Movie 1979)
PDPH #4:It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Roman Holiday (1953), Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
PDPH #5:Philadelphia Story (1940), Gilda (1946), All About Eve (1950), Jaws (Movies)
Several people have extensions, so if you don't have a gift and are not a pinch hit, don't fret!PDPH #2:
PDPH #3:
PDPH #4:
PDPH #5:
12 Hours to Deadline!
Sep. 19th, 2025 02:54 amAssignments are due almost exactly 12 hours from now [countdown | in your time zone].
Please make sure that you have a completed work of 1000 words or more posted -- partial works and/or works that are under the minimum risk deletion and default at deadline. If you need a one-time extension, please contact us at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com.
Good luck to those still working!
Please make sure that you have a completed work of 1000 words or more posted -- partial works and/or works that are under the minimum risk deletion and default at deadline. If you need a one-time extension, please contact us at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com.
Good luck to those still working!
New Pinch Hit + Art Treats Welcome
Sep. 17th, 2025 02:16 pmWe have one new pinch hit, due September 21.
If you want to claim it, please email the mods at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com with your AO3 username or comment here (comments are screened).
Unrelated, we had a question about the possibility of art being allowed for treats, despite the exchange itself being fic-only, and we've decided to open up the option of art, but only for treats, not for assignments. As with fic, please make sure your work doesn't violate any of your recipients DNWs.
Finally, don't forget the treats for pinch-hitters post! If you pick up a pinch hit and aren't participating in the exchange, leave prompts there and, if you've got a hankering to do a little treating, please check there to see if you're familiar with any of the fandoms being requested.
One week left to deadline!
Sep. 12th, 2025 11:17 amAssignments are due in a week [countdown | in your time zone], and we have one outstanding pinch hit:
If you can take the pinch hit, please comment (they are screened) or email us at: classicfilmexchange@gmail.com. Meantime, if you have finished with your assignment and/or are itching to spent more time in the cool, refreshing waters of classic film, please take a gander at our treats for pinch-hitters post and see if there's anything there that appeals to you. As a reminder, treats do not have to meet the 1000 word minimum, but they do need to respect DNW, just like the assignments.
If you can take the pinch hit, please comment (they are screened) or email us at: classicfilmexchange@gmail.com. Meantime, if you have finished with your assignment and/or are itching to spent more time in the cool, refreshing waters of classic film, please take a gander at our treats for pinch-hitters post and see if there's anything there that appeals to you. As a reminder, treats do not have to meet the 1000 word minimum, but they do need to respect DNW, just like the assignments.
New Pinch Hits
Aug. 16th, 2025 04:37 amWe have two additional pinch hits in need of homes! They are due September 19.
PH #2:Stage Door (1937), The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Summer Stock (1950), Sunset Boulevard (1950), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Roman Holiday (1953), The Night of the Hunter (1955), Miss Marple movies (1961-64), My Fair Lady (1964), The Warriors (1979)
PH #3:Flesh and the Devil (1926), Il buono il brutto il cattivo | The Good The Bad and The Ugly (1966), Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Claim in the usual way: either email classicfilmexchange@gmail.com or comment here (comments are screened).
If you pick up a pinch hit but are not signed up for the exchange, please put your requests in this post! Anyone looking to write a little treat for someone who is helping out, check that post from time to time and see whether you can help out.
PH #2:
PH #3:
Claim in the usual way: either email classicfilmexchange@gmail.com or comment here (comments are screened).
If you pick up a pinch hit but are not signed up for the exchange, please put your requests in this post! Anyone looking to write a little treat for someone who is helping out, check that post from time to time and see whether you can help out.
Assignments out + one IPH
Jul. 31st, 2025 02:42 am Assignments have been sent!
Please let us know ASAP if there are any issues with youra, or if you've not received one (sometimes the emails can take a while, so if you've not got one yet, check your AO3 "assignments" page before panicking). Works must be a minimum of 1000 words and are due September 19.
We have one IPH. If you can claim it, please either email us at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com or comment here (comments are screened).
PH #1:The Big Heat (1953), Dial M for Murder (1954), To Catch a Thief (1955), The Big Country (1958)
ETA: If your letter link goes to a placeholder or the post is locked, pleased address that right away so that your writer can have all the info they need to give you the best possible gift!
Please let us know ASAP if there are any issues with youra, or if you've not received one (sometimes the emails can take a while, so if you've not got one yet, check your AO3 "assignments" page before panicking). Works must be a minimum of 1000 words and are due September 19.
We have one IPH. If you can claim it, please either email us at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com or comment here (comments are screened).
PH #1:
ETA: If your letter link goes to a placeholder or the post is locked, pleased address that right away so that your writer can have all the info they need to give you the best possible gift!
Sign-ups open early!
Jul. 18th, 2025 08:57 amSign-ups are open from now until July 29. [form | countdown | in your time zone]
Promote your favorite movies/folks/pairings here!
A reminder of the rules:
Also, remember that there is a known issue whereby relationship tags sometimes do not appear in the dropdown menu once you have chosen a fandom. If this happens, copy the relationship from the tagset and paste it into the box on the sign-up form -- that should solve the problem.
Any questions or issues, please let us know, either in the comments or at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com.
Promote your favorite movies/folks/pairings here!
A reminder of the rules:
You can request 3-10 fandoms with 1-10 ships and/or characters. While you can repeat fandoms, you must have 3 unique ones selected to participate.
You can offer 3-10 fandoms with 1-10 ships and/or characters. You must offer 3 unique fandoms to participate. Matches are made based on one fandom and one character or ship.
You can edit/delete your sign-ups until the sign-up period closes.
If a sign-up does not include the required number of fandoms, it will be deleted when sign-ups close.
All fandoms and ships requested and offered in this exchange must be chosen from those nominated into the tagset. Please nominate to make sure what you want to request/offer appears.
If no offers match your requests, you will go out for claiming as an initial pinch hit (IPH).
If there aren't any requests that match your offers, the mods will contact you at the email address associated with your AO3 account to see if there is anything else you can offer. If you do not reply within 24 hours, or there is nothing else you can offer, your sign-up will be deleted.
Dear Creator letters: There is a section in the sign-up where letters can be linked to give your gifter further details on your likes, dislikes and other request details. Dear Creator letters are optional.
In the optional details and in Dear Creator letters, please do not place preference for one ship over the others, as there isn't a guarantee you will be matched on that ship.
DNWs: Please include anything you don't want to receive in the Optional Details field in your AO3 sign-up and label this clearly as "Do Not Wants" (DNW). If a DNW is included in your gift, only reasonable DNWs in your sign-up will be enforced. Please remember that DNWs cannot be used to box your creator into producing a very specific work. We will not be enforcing DNWs in letters.
We accept 'do not match' requests for this exchange. Please email us before sign-ups close at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com letting us know your AO3 name, the AO3 name of the participant you would like not to be matched to, and what you would like us to do in the instance where you are their only match as a creator or you are their only match as a recipient. We don't need to know the reasons for this request (unless you feel it's in our best interests). We'll do our best to respect your request.
We accept 'do not match' requests for this exchange. Please email us before sign-ups close at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com letting us know your AO3 name, the AO3 name of the participant you would like not to be matched to, and what you would like us to do in the instance where you are their only match as a creator or you are their only match as a recipient. We don't need to know the reasons for this request (unless you feel it's in our best interests). We'll do our best to respect your request.
Also, remember that there is a known issue whereby relationship tags sometimes do not appear in the dropdown menu once you have chosen a fandom. If this happens, copy the relationship from the tagset and paste it into the box on the sign-up form -- that should solve the problem.
Any questions or issues, please let us know, either in the comments or at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com.
Clarifications/Questions Post #3
Jul. 17th, 2025 02:31 amNominations close about fourteen hours from now! [countdown | in your time zone]
We've got one new clarification question:
We've got one new clarification question:
- Could the person who nominated Yours Mine and Ours please help us out with the noms that include "Darrell Johnson"? We can't find any characters with that name -- do you mean Darrell Harrison, who is played by Van Johnson? If so, could you please edit the nominations to reflect that? If there is a Darrell Johnson in the movie that we're missing, just comment and point us toward a credits list that includes him. Thank you!
Questions/Clarifications #2
Jul. 14th, 2025 01:25 am⏩ Person who nominated Albin/Georges for La Cage Aux Folles: from what we can tell, the character who is named George in the play and musical is called Renato Baldi in the film -- is this who you mean to nominate? If not, please help us out with a clarification! (This question is still open -- the nomination was accidentally deleted, but if you are still interested, please re-nominate with the correct name, or with the same ones accompanied by an explanation here, and we'll take care of it right away.)
⏩ A reminder about RPF. According to the rules, "RPF is permitted for requests in a documentary fandom (Grey Gardens (1975), for example). In other cases, it will be subjected to moderator approval." Because the exchange is focused specifically on films rather than the people who made them, we are at this point not allowing RPF about the figures involved in making those films (actors, directors, etc).
Nominations close on 17 July! Countdown is here.
⏩ A reminder about RPF. According to the rules, "RPF is permitted for requests in a documentary fandom (Grey Gardens (1975), for example). In other cases, it will be subjected to moderator approval." Because the exchange is focused specifically on films rather than the people who made them, we are at this point not allowing RPF about the figures involved in making those films (actors, directors, etc).
Nominations close on 17 July! Countdown is here.
Nomination Clarifications/Updates
Jul. 10th, 2025 02:42 am⏩ Person who nominated Albin/Georges for La Cage Aux Folles: from what we can tell, the character who is named George in the play and musical is called Renato Baldi in the film -- is this who you mean to nominate? If not, please help us out with a clarification!
⏩ A final remember to folks who nominated OCs: they are not allowed in this exchange (see the rules or this post for specifics), but you are more than welcome to nominate characters under the "SOLO" label, and then request fic exploring their relationships with people outside of/before the film in question. If these nominations are not edited accordingly in the next 48 hours, they will be rejected.
⏩ A final remember to folks who nominated OCs: they are not allowed in this exchange (see the rules or this post for specifics), but you are more than welcome to nominate characters under the "SOLO" label, and then request fic exploring their relationships with people outside of/before the film in question. If these nominations are not edited accordingly in the next 48 hours, they will be rejected.
Nomintions are open for another week!
rules reminder
Jul. 9th, 2025 02:40 amFrom the rules:
If you nominated OCs, please edit those nominations accordingly, and we'll get them approved right away! Thanks a lot.
Original characters: Original characters are not eligible for nomination in this exchange. If you wish to explore a character's backstory (their romantic or sexual history for example), nominate them using the SOLO: name (fandom) format, and include an explanation in your prompts when you sign up.
If you nominated OCs, please edit those nominations accordingly, and we'll get them approved right away! Thanks a lot.
Promo Post!
Jul. 7th, 2025 02:23 amLooking for a place to shout about the movies you love, as well as the characters/ships within them that make you happiest (or fill you with delicious angst)? Well, this is that place!
If you want a suggestion for format, there's one below, but feel free to express yourself any way you'd like!
Title:
How can people watch it?
What and/or who do you love about it?
Any content warnings?
Some things to keep in mind:
- If you post gifs and videos, remember not everyone has high speed internet, and consider linking rather than embedding, if you include more than one or two.
- Please warn for big triggers and label NSFW content in gifs or videos!
- When linking to sources for your movies, please leak only to legal sites, YouTube and/or archive.org. Other sites can be shared in your letters, or via the mods, if you prefer.
- If you are trying to find one of the movies mentioned either here on in the tagset and can't find it, please email the mods at classicfilmexchange@gmail.com and we're happy to help with grayer market resources!