THIS WEEK IN AVANT GARDE CINEMA

By Film Threat Staff | May 18, 2000

Events are sorted alphabetically BY CITY within each DATE.
SUNDAY, MAY 21, 2000 ^ 5/21 ^ Atlanta, Georgia: 24th Annual Atlanta Film and Video Festival ^ http://www.imagefv.org/afvf/index.htm ^ SPECTRES OF THE SPECTRUM (CRAIG BALDWIN, 1999) ^ 12 noon: In this found-footage fairy tale set in the year 2007, a telepathic young woman, Boo Boo, scavenges for survival on an old bombing range, in a blighted desert outpost outside of Las Vegas. Her father, Yogi, is holed up in a cinder-block house pirate-broadcasting diatribes on the impending electromagnetic “pulse.” A governmental/corporate “New Electromagnetic Order” threatens to use earth’s magnetosphere to “bulk erase” the brains of everyone on the planet. A solar eclipse affords Boo Boo the opportunity to travel back in time to find the secret to survival, lodged in an ancient television broadcast. A collage of overlapping found footage of early science fiction shows, industrial and educational films, advertisements, and video performance sewn together with relentless narration, S.O.S is an energetic mix of science fiction and fact. This screening will take place at the AMC Phipps Plaza 14 Theaters, Atlanta. For more information, contact the festival organizers at imageinfo@imagefv.org or (404) 352-4225.
5/21 ^ Boulder, Colorado: University of Colorado, Boulder ^ SUNDAY EVENING WITH BRAKHAGE ^ 7:30pm: Each Sunday evening Stan Brakhage is host for a gathering of friends and film buffs to view films and videotapes from his incredible collection. Often viewers will see a world premiere of the latest Brakhage film. Most evenings those in attendance stay after the showing to talk about a wide variety of subjects with Stan. These gatherings are held in room N141 of the Fine Arts building on the Boulder Campus of the University of Colorado. All are encouraged to attend and the showings are free.
5/21 ^ Los Angeles, California: Filmforum ^ http://www.filmforum.org/ ^ ERIC SAKS’ TIME CAPSULE ^ 7pm: Tonight Filmforum features works by Eric Saks, with Saks in person. Filmforum takes place at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), 6522 Hollywood Boulevard (at Wilcox), Hollywood. For more information, call (323) 526-2911.
5/21 ^ New York, New York: Museum of Modern Art ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/moma/moma.html ^ WORKS BY JUDITH WECHSLER
5pm: FLORA NATAPOFF (1999): Artist Natapoff, the subject of the film, director Wechsler, and cinematographer Ricky Leacock have been friends for thirty years. A celebration of Natapoff’s life and work, the film is in a sense a continuation of a conversation between the three. HONORÃ‰ DAUMIER: ONE MUST BE OF ONE’S TIME (1999): Daumier was the leading caricaturist of nineteenth-century France, mirroring the pretensions, diversions, and foibles of the bourgeoisie in his social caricatures. IMAGE AND ENTERPRISE: THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF ADOLPHE BRAUN, 1812â€“1877 (1998): French photographer Adolphe Braun began by photographing flowers in 1854 and went on to develop the entrepreneurial side of photography by using it to promote tourism and industry. This screening will take place at the Titus 2 Theater, the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York City. For more information, call (212) 708-9400.
5/21 ^ New York, New York: Anthology Film Archives ^ http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/ ^ ESSENTIAL CINEMA: HUGO, JORDAN, ASAR, LEVITT, MAAS
6pm: Screenings of Ian Hugo’s BELLS OF ATLANTIS (1952), Larry Jordan’s DUO CONCERTANTES (1962-64) and OUR LADY OF THE SPHERE (1968), Hamfat Asar’s GYMNOPEDIES (1968), Helen Levitt’s IN THE STREET (1952) and Willard Maas’s GEOGRAPHY OF THE BODY (1943). Anthology is located at 32 2nd Avenue, New York; for more information, call (212) 505-5181.
5/21 ^ New York, New York: Anthology Film Archives ^ http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/ ^ ESSENTIAL CINEMA: TOM, TOM, THE PIPER’S SON
7:30pm: A screening of TOM, TOM, THE PIPER’S SON (Ken Jacobs, 1969), an absolute masterpiece from one of the most inspiring innovators of modern cinema, Jacobs: “Original 1905 film shot and probably directed by G.W. ‘Billy’ Bitzer, rescued via a paper print filed for copyright purposes with the Library of Congress. It is most reverently examined here, absolutely loved, with a new movie, almost as a side effect, coming into being.” Anthology is located at 32 2nd Avenue, New York; for more information, call (212) 505-5181.
5/21 ^ New York, New York: Museum of Modern Art ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/moma/moma.html ^ ALAN BERLINER: FOUR CORNER TIME ^ 2pm: EVERYWHERE AT ONCE (1985): A musical montage, a synchronized symphony composed from elements at hand: piano chords and cable cars, cocktail jazz and broken glass, Loony Tunes and telephones, and more. INTERSECTION (1976): Geometric composition meets geometric editing. LINE (1976): Cars, trucks, pedestrians, and the line they pass over, by, and through. NATURAL HISTORY (1983): From there to here…from then to now. The soundtrack features thirty-three frogs, twenty-two birds, lion growls, bomb whistles, a heartbeat, and the chromatic scale. PERIMETER (1976): A hand-held camera follows the lines of force of a busy pedestrian crosswalk. TRAFFIC LIGHT (1976): The rhythms of stop and go, stasis and motion, night light, and light flashes. This screening will take place at the Titus 2 Theater, the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York City. For more information, call (212) 708-9400.
5/21 ^ New York, New York: Whitney Museum Film and Video Department ^ http://www.echonyc.com/%7Ewhitney/ ^ WHITNEY BIENNIAL FILM PROGRAM: SUNDAY ^ At noon: Sharon Lockhart’s TEATRO AMAZONAS (1999): Lockhart filled the seats of a 19th-century opera house in Manaus, Brazil, and from a stationary camera position photographed the reactions of the audience to a choral mass. At 3pm: Errol Morris’s FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL (1997): Morris and his Oscar-winning cinematographer, Robert Richardson, use diverse film formats as well as stock footage and clips from old films to create this multinarrative work of subtly related common themes, with characters who include a lion tamer, a topiary expert, and robotics specialist. For full details and program schedule, or further information, contact the Film and Video Department at the Whitney Museum of American Art at (212) 570-3617 or (212) 570-7754.
5/21 ^ Paris, France: CinÃ©mathÃ¨que FranÃ§aise ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/ctf/ctf.html ^ JEUNE DURE ET PURE, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM IN FRANCE: PROGRAMME 28 ^ 7pm: MÃ‰DITERRANÃ‰E (Jean-Daniel Pollet, 1966), HÃ‰RACLITE L’OBSCUR (Patrick Deval, 1967), HOMÃ‰O (Ã‰tienne O’Leary, 1967). DÃ©buts du cinÃ©ma underground en France.
5/21 ^ Paris, France: CinÃ©mathÃ¨que FranÃ§aise ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/ctf/ctf.html ^ JEUNE DURE ET PURE, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM IN FRANCE: PROGRAMME 29 ^ 9:30pm: Ã€ BIENTÃ”T J’ESPÃˆRE (Chris Marker et Mario Marret, 1967), L’AUTHENTIQUE PROCÃˆS DE CARL-EMMANUEL JUNG (Marcel Hanoun, 1967). Pierre Gras: “L’art ne protÃ¨ge de rien.”
5/21 ^ Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh Filmmakers ^ http://www.pghfilmmakers.org/ ^ PRIZED PIECES FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL ^ Presented in conjunction with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), this annual festival of independent films and videos features winners of the NBPC awards. “Prized Pieces” was established in 1981 to provide a forum for African American and African media artists. During this year’s festival some of the stars and filmmakers will be on hand to present their work and answer questions. Included in the four day event are programs of short films, videos, as well feature-length films, some of which are world premieres. This screening will be held in the Melwood Screening Room, 477 Melwood Avenue, North Oakland, Pennsylvania. Call the NBPC hotline at 412-622-1466 for more information.
5/21 ^ Vancouver, British Columbia: The Blinding Light ^ http://www.blindinglight.com/ ^ THE NARCOLEPTIC VIDEOGRAPHER: SHOOT TO STUN ^ 8:30pm: In this DIY series of over-the-top and from-the-hip videosketches, The Blinding Light’s strange-but-friendly next door neighbour Mr. Kevin Spenst takes to the streets with unsurpassed energy and imagination to uncover the random and erratic goings-on of the hood. With a Hi8 camera, a handful of “volunteers” (including the BL’s own talented and charming barista Braden Jones, along with Spenst’s unsuspecting ESL class!) and the street as his stage, Spenst takes two parts KIDS IN THE HALL, a dash of TOM GREEN, blends thoroughly and drains all liquid in this ever-dry and smart collection of short videos. Featured are THE NARCOLEPTIC JOGGER, MY ROOMMATE THINKS HE’S A CAT, and many more! This event is at the Blinding Light, 36 Powell Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada; for more information, call (604) 878-3366.
5/21 ^ Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York: Ocularis ^ http://www.billburg.com/ocularis/ ^ BURNING CONTOUR MATRIX AND DEEP CRIMSON ^ 7 and 9:30pm: A screening of BURNING CONTOUR MATRIX (Simon Tarr, 1999, 3-D), followed by DEEP CRIMSON (Arturo Ripstein, 1997). Ocularis is at Galapagos Art and Performance Space, 70 North 6th Street (between Wythe and Kent Avenues) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For more information, call (718) 388-8713.
MONDAY, MAY 22, 2000 ^ 5/22 ^ Melbourne, Australia: La Mama Theatre ^ CHROMATIC ARTICULATION : FILMS BY ARTHUR AND CORINNE CANTRILL ^ 8pm: Australian filmmakers Arthur and Corinne Cantrill will introduce a program of films shown during their recent screening tour of North America, Frankfurt and Paris. They include MYSELF WHEN FOURTEEN, a rotoscope/optical printer analysis of movement, and an investigation of the ways the human face is read and recognised. Also a series of 3-colour separation films filmed on regular and hi-con B&W negative and printed onto Eastmancolor stock, generating highly saturated plays of out of gamut colour. They are CITY OF CHROMATIC INTENSITY (will colour exist when there is no-one left to see it?), GARDEN OF CHROMATIC DISTURBANCE (does colour exist where there is no light?), IVOR PAINTS ARF ARF, and CITY OF CHROMATIC DISSOLUTION. Other films are a series of single frame articulations, shot on Super 8 and enlarged to 16mm, such as AIREY’S INLET: a discontinuous frame-by-frame film of a coastal scene intercut with a painting of the same landscape, ARTICULATED IMAGE: a discontinuous frame-by-frame film of a potted palm lit by a decorative lead-light window, ‘articulated’ by inter-shot black frames, and ILLUMINATIONS OF THE MUNDANE: brief, ambiguous details of obliquely lit objects and patches of textured light, with wind-blown shadows, in the house and garden. This screening will take place at La Mama Theatre, 205 Faraday Street in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, call the Cantrills at 61 3 9380 6416.
5/22 ^ Sydney, Australia: Side On CafÃ© ^ http://www.side-on.com.au ^ LOW SELF ESTEEM GIRL (BLAINE THURIER, 1999) ^ 8pm: Australian premiere. The first in what seems to be a growing world-wide phenomenon: DV feature screening in international microcinemas. From the Blinding Light’s notes: “Lois, aka Low Self Esteem Girl, is the girl who makes everybody else feel good, if you know what I mean. A one-night stand leads a pot dealer to believe that he holds the key to her heart in the form of a magic phrase. By selling the information to his clients, he effectively prostitutes our heroine without her knowledge. Meanwhile a demon-possessed born again Christian falls in love with her and conspires with his youth group pastor to convert her to the faith. Will she be a saint or a sinner? Or both? Or neither?” Side On Cafe is located at 83 Parramatta Road Annandale Sydney NSW. For more information, contact Luke at 9519 0055.
5/22 ^ Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York: Ocularis ^ http://www.billburg.com/ocularis/ ^ LOST IN TRANSLATION: SELECTIONS FROM THE MADAT INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S FILM FESTIVAL ^ 8:30pm: Filmmakers from around the world explore the gap between history and memory, between language and communication. Curated by Ariella Ben-Dov, San Francisco. Works include: DOVER STREET (Imelda Pricherit, 1999), a silent collage of images and text; PASSAGES (Lisl Ponger, 1996), a layered meditation on travel and the travelogue; EGYPT (Kathrin Resetarits, 1997), a film about the sign language of deaf-mutes, a language which, like the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, links the symbolic terminology of words with the mimetic and analogous representations of graphic gestures; TITO MATERIAL (Elke Groen, 1998), found fragments of a film from the rubble of cinema in war torn Mostar; THE WHOLE HISTORY OF THAT (Jenny Perlin, 1998), the filmmaker’s search for her great-grandmother’s family; FEVER (Paula M. Froehle, 1998), a visually dense, poetic exploration of the bond between a mother and child; and LECHE (Naomi Uman), a non-traditional documentary that draws the viewer into the daily life of a cattle ranching family in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Ocularis is at Galapagos Art and Performance Space, 70 North 6th Street (between Wythe and Kent Avenues) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For more information, call (718) 388-8713.
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2000 ^ 5/23 ^ Melbourne, Australia: La Mama Theatre ^ CHROMATIC ARTICULATION : FILMS BY ARTHUR AND CORINNE CANTRILL ^ 8pm: Australian filmmakers Arthur and Corinne Cantrill will introduce a program of films shown during their recent screening tour of North America, Frankfurt and Paris. The screening will also celebrate the final issue, #93-100, of CANTRILLS FILMNOTES, after 30 years of continuous publication. For more details, see May 22.
5/23 ^ New York, New York: Anthology Film Archives ^ http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/ ^ DANCE ON CAMERA ^ 7:30pm: Vincent LoBrutto, a film scholar and favorite editing teacher among dancers learning the craft of film, will analyze clips from Bob Fosse’s ALL THAT JAZZ and Sam Peckinpah’s THE WILD BUNCH, as well as excerpts from independent dance films, such as Pascal Magnin’s CONTRECOUP. Anthology is located at 32 2nd Avenue, New York; for more information, call (212) 505-5181.
5/23 ^ New York, New York: Anthology Film Archives ^ http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/ ^ THE HIDDEN FACE OF CZECH (EXPERI)MENTAL FILM ^ 7pm: In the Czech Republic in recent years people have begun to talk about “wild films,” without any attempt at a more rigorous taxonomy, to describe all sorts of genres, but what is important is precisely their defiance of definition. This three-day series (this is day one) of “wild” Czech films exposes them to an international audience at the very moment when the underground river of alternative film is reappearing. Anthology is located at 32 2nd Avenue, New York; for more information, call (212) 505-5181.
5/23 ^ New York, New York: Museum of Modern Art ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/moma/moma.html ^ WORKS BY JOANNA PRIESTLEY ^ 3pm: AFTER THE FALL (1991), ALL MY RELATIONS (1990), CANDYJAM (1988), HAND HELD (1995), PRO AND CON (1993), SHE-BOP (1988), UTOPIA PARKWAY (1997) and VOICES (1985). Joanna Priestley is an animator whose work reveals not only her interest in experimenting with different mediums but also the obvious delight she takes in her process. Using drawings, puppets, clay painting, pixelation, replacement animation, and 3-D, Priestley’s witty and often humorous films cover a variety of subjects, some mundane, some extraordinary. One film, CANDYJAM, is an international collaboration among ten filmmakers, who each created a segment animating candy. This screening will take place at the Titus 2 Theater, the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York City. For more information, call (212) 708-9400.
5/23 ^ New York, New York: Robert Beck Memorial Cinema ^ http://www.crosswinds.net/~rbmc ^ PICTURE BOOKS FOR ADULTS ^ 9pm: While he’s in town to show brand-new films at the Walter Reade, Lewis Klahr (now LA, but always NYC) will drop in the RBMC for a special screening of his Super-8 serial PICTURE BOOKS FOR ADULTS (83-85), unseen in NYC for over 10 years. Lewis promises other rare super-8 gems, including a double-projection film from c. 1982…This program will take place at Collective Unconscious 145 Ludlow Street, New York City. For more information, contact Brian Frye at fryebrian@hotmail.com or (718) 622-5360.
5/23 ^ New York, New York: The Kitchen ^ http://www.thekitchen.org ^ VISTAS NUEVAS: RECENT VIDEO FROM CUBA ^ A gathering of new video work and video documentation of recent performances by artists based in Cuba. A look into how a country with a rich filmmaking history yet limited technological resources expands into new media. Through June 3. The Kitchen Art Gallery is open Tue-Sat, 2-6pm, and one hour before performance and during intermissions; the Kitchen is located at 512 West 19th Street, New York City. For more information, call (212) 255-5793.
5/23 ^ New York, New York: Whitney Museum Film and Video Department ^ http://www.echonyc.com/%7Ewhitney/ ^ WHITNEY BIENNIAL FILM PROGRAM: TUESDAY ^ At noon: OBSESSIONS, including: Les LeVeque’s 2 SPELLBOUND (1999), a condensation of SPELLBOUND (from 111 minutes to just under eight minutes) that transforms Hitchcock’s trademark slow-paced suspense-building into a rushing sense of the inevitable; and Rolf Belgum’s DRIVER 23 (1998), a video that follows Dan Cleveland, an obsessive Minneapolis-based musician, through a three-year struggle to become a star as the front man for a progressive rock band called Dark Horse. At 3pm: Joe Gibbons’s MULTIPLE BARBIE (1998), a short shot with a Fisher-Price PXL2000 “Pixelvision” camera where Gibbons plays a psychiatrist treating a Barbie doll afflicted with multiple personality disorder; Tran, T. Kim-Trang’s OCULARIS: EYE SURROGATES (1997), an experimental video that examines the presence and effects of surveillance technology; Jennifer Reeder’s NEVERMIND (1999), where Reeder lip-syncs to “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” an anthem for so-called Generation X-ers, in grainy, highly colored images and slow-motion speed, as she seizes the conventionally male power of the rock star; and Nathaniel Dorsky’s VARIATIONS (1999): Dorsky aims to bring cinema back to “a direct connection with the visual world,” rather than its typical, mainstream function as a secondary language that substitutes for the verbal. For full details and program schedule, or further information, contact the Film and Video Department at the Whitney Museum of American Art at (212) 570-3617 or (212) 570-7754.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2000 ^ 5/24 ^ Berkeley, California: Pacific Film Archive ^ http://www.uampfa.berkeley.edu/pfa/ ^ PRETTY VACANT AND BEYOND THE SCREAMS ^ 7:30pm: PRETTY VACANT (Jim Mendiola, 1995): A young Chicana living in San Antonio publishes Ex Voto, a fanzine dedicated to the Sex Pistols. This day-in-the-life sketch roars along like her mimeo’d ‘zine, cutting up stereotypes. BEYOND THE SCREAMS: LATINO PUNK CULTURE (Martin Sorrondeguy, 2000): Steve Seid: “BEYOND THE SCREAMS is also beyond the stereotypes. Latino punk bands? Writing from here in Gringolandia, I never knew of such a thing. Wasn’t punk the exclusive property of hardcore white guys from the proletariat? Martin Sorrondeguy, lead singer of the Chicago-based band El Crudo, takes us on a musical history tour, from the roots in the L.A. renaissance circa 1976 and bands like The Zeros, Plugz, and The Brats, to the latter nineties and the post-nihilism of Youth Against, Bread and Circuits, Kontra Attaque, and others. There’s a DIY attitude to BEYOND THE SCREAMS and a galvanizing energy that echoes many of the performances, songs delivered like shrapnel. The bands featured from El Paso, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Berkeley testify to the intent of their music as political resistance. This isn’t just chunky chords and crackling vocals. BEYOND THE SCREAMS is the sound of hope mixed with rage.” Four videos of the Mexico City-based band Molotov will also be screened: PARASITO, PUTO, VOTO LATINO and GIMME THE POWER. The Pacific Film Archive is located at 2575 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. For more information, call (510) 642-5249.
5/24 ^ London, England: The Lux ^ http://www.lea.org.uk/home_frm.html ^ CRITICAL IMAGES II / DVOLUTION: SONIC FRAGMENTS ^ Screenings as part of the ciII//:DVolution conference. Today, SONIC FRAGMENTS: Seven remix films by Dutch talents Joost Rekveld, Ian Kerkhof, Frank Scheffer, Miriam Kruishoop, Rob Schroder, Misha Klein and Alexander Oey. This event will be held at the Lux Centre for Film, Video and Digital Arts , 2-4 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU; for more information, call the Lux Centre at 020 7684 0200.
5/24 ^ Los Angeles, California: BlueStudio ^ http://www.cine-nites.com/ ^ CINE-NITES ^ 7:30pm: Cine-Nites, a weekly screening of works on VHS, is held every Wednesday at the Century City Playhouse located at 10508 W. Pico Boulevard (between Beverly Glen and Overland) in Los Angeles.
5/24 ^ New York, New York: Anthology Film Archives ^ http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/ ^ NEW FILMMAKERS PROGRAM ^ 7pm: New Filmmakers turns things Upside Down and Inside Out. Short films include Robert Nassau’s TELEMARKETER (1999), Julia O’Farrow’s UNDER THE INFLUENCE (1999), Paul Bonner’s THE BOTTOMLESS CUP (1999) and Todd Rohal’s KNUCKLEFACE JONES. The feature presentation is EXISTO (Coke Sams, 1999). In a smoky cabaret called the Sewer, a revolution brews against Dockers-wearing, mall-shopping conformists. Leading the crusade is performer Existo (Bruce Arnston), who is revered by artists and philosophers alike for his scathing attacks on the status quo. Coke Sams’ film makes a statement about the importance of freedom of expression, but also pokes fun at the family values crowd. Rude imagery and hilarious musical sequences make EXISTO the perfect training film for artists in our Guiliani-repressive era. Filmmakers and their casts and crews will attend. Anthology is located at 32 2nd Avenue, New York; for more information, call (212) 505-5181.
5/24 ^ New York, New York: Whitney Museum Film and Video Department ^ http://www.echonyc.com/%7Ewhitney/ ^ WHITNEY BIENNIAL FILM PROGRAM: WEDNESDAY ^ At noon: TRANSFORMING PERSONAE, including: Mandy Morrison’s DESPERADO (1997), where video and installation artist Morrison, dressed in cowboy gear, a John Wayne mask, and a gender-bending prosthesis, rides a mechanical bull and dances in a highly artificial Western landscape, simultaneously engaging and resisting the objects of her critical investigation; Ayanna U’Dongo’s ABORIGITRON: AFFAIRS OF THE HYBRID HEART (2000), an exploration of what the artist
perceives as complexities of love among African-Americans, which reflects on the connections between love, hate, powerlessness, and expressions of frustration; Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake’s THE HISTORY OF GLAMOUR (1998), a short, animated fiction film about teen singer-songwriter Charles Valentine and her meteoric rise to celebrity; and Sadie Benning’s FLAT IS BEAUTIFUL (1998), a look at the experiences of Taylor, an androgynous 12-year-old girl who is undergoing a painful transition from childhood to adolescence. At 3pm: WARS OF OUR TIME, including: Â®Tmark’s BRINGING IT TO YOU! (1998): Â®TMark ‘s (pronounced “art-mark”) aim is to enable the “creative subversion” of the
dominant corporate structure by exposing how corporations enjoy the legal rights of individuals, but function without many of the individual’s legal responsibilities; Tran, T. Kim-Trang’s EKLEIPSIS (1998), a study of a group of Cambodian women, living in California, who form the largest group of hysterically blind people in the world; Walid Ra’ad’s THE DEAD WEIGHT OF A QUARREL HANGS (1999), a short, faux documentary presenting imaginary events that investigate the possibilities and limits of writing a history of the Lebanese civil wars (1975-91); and Rebecca Baron’s OKAY BYE-BYE: With a series of photographs of the victims of a Cambodian concentration camp that begin as mug shots and are ultimately commodified as part of a gallery exhibition, Baron explores the relationship of history to memory. For full details and program schedule, or further information, contact the Film and Video Department at the Whitney Museum of American Art at (212) 570-3617 or (212) 570-7754.
5/24 ^ Paris, France: CinÃ©mathÃ¨que FranÃ§aise ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/ctf/ctf.html ^ JEUNE DURE ET PURE, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM IN FRANCE: PROGRAMME 31 ^ 9:30pm: CINÃ‰-TRACTS (sÃ©lection) (Collectif, 1968), LE ROUGE (GÃ©rard Fromanger, avec Jean-Luc Godard), 1968), CLASSE DE LUTTE (Groupe Medvedkine, 1968), CHANTAL D., STAR (Maurice LemaÃ®tre, 1968), UNE Å’UVRE (Maurice LemaÃ®tre, 1968). Tous derriÃ¨re Suzanne!
5/24 ^ Paris, France: CinÃ©mathÃ¨que FranÃ§aise ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/ctf/ctf.html ^ JEUNE DURE ET PURE, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM IN FRANCE: PROGRAMME 30 ^ 7pm: TOUROU ET BITTI (Jean Rouch, 1967): Possession en plan-sÃ©quence. JÃ‰SUS-COLA (Martial Raysse, 1967): DÃ©possession en plans-tableaux. VISA DE CENSURE NÂ°X (Pierre ClÃ©menti, 1967): Transe en surimpression. EDEN MISERIA (Jacques Baratier, 1967): Et trip trÃ¨s sympathique.
5/24 ^ Seattle, Washington: Emerald Reels / Blackchair Productions ^ http://www.emeraldreels.com/index_satellites.htm ^ THE SUPER SUPER-8 FESTIVAL ^ 8pm: After a two year hiatus, the Super Super-8 Festival returns to Seattle. This touring program of films organized by super-8 aficionado Melinda Stone is on the front end of a world tour that will crisscross North America, Eastern / Western Europe and Japan. Aiming to put the “festival” back in the film festival, this event features live musical accompaniment to movies…in addition to bingo, door prizes, sing-a-longs and more. The film program features a diverse range of creativity, including Mark Fox’s mysterious and alluring UNTITLED ANIMATION, Martha Colburn’s unforgettable hard-core creation THERE’S A PERVERT IN OUR POOL, local filmmaker Reed O’Beirne’s short political documentary NO TIME FOR SHOPPING and seven other films. Live music during and after films by Skerik, Joe Doria and John Wicks. This event will take place at the Sit n Spin Restaurant and Bar, 2219 4th Avenue, Belltown, Seattle. For more information, contact the Sit n Spin at (206) 441-9484.
THURSDAY, MAY 25, 2000 ^ 5/25 ^ Belfast, Ireland: Lavery’s Bar ^ VIDEOS FROM NORTH IRELAND, UK AND SCOTLAND ^ 10pm: Videos in after a few drinks-in Belfast by the following artists from N. Ireland, UK and Scotland: Paul Rooney, Paul Dignan, Amanda Dunsmore, Tony Maas, Miriam de Burca, Shane Tedford, Seamus Harahan, Cora Cluett/Paul Dignan. The videos explore the context of a bar and will be integrated into it, becoming an unexpected, additional element to the experience of being in a pub. There will be postcards available to take so that people can respond to the program and mail these back to the artist. This event will be held at Laverys Bar 12-16 Bradbury Place in both the Public Bar and Gin Palace, Belfast.
5/25 ^ London, England: The Lux ^ http://www.lea.org.uk/home_frm.html ^ CRITICAL IMAGES II / DVOLUTION: JON JOST ^ Screenings as part of the ciII//:DVolution conference. Today, indie filmmaker turned DV proselytiser Jon Jost presents 6 EASY PIECES, and gives a guided tour of his recent work. This event will be held at the Lux Centre for Film, Video and Digital Arts , 2-4 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU; for more information, call the Lux Centre at 020 7684 0200.
5/25 ^ Minneapolis, Minnesota: Walker Art Center ^ http://www.walkerart.org/jsindex.html ^ DIVINE TRASH ^ 7pm: A screening of DIVINE TRASH (Steve Yeager, 1997). Get all the dirt on perhaps the filthiest movie ever made, Waters’ Pink Flamingos. This documentary goes behind the scenes of the director’s infamous films with the kind of juicy gossip that would drive Babs Johnson to murder. This event will take place at the Walker Art Center, at the corner of Vineland Place and Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota. For more information, call (612) 375-7615.
5/25 ^ New York, New York: Anthology Film Archives ^ http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/ ^ FRESH FILM ^ 8pm: Curated by Sky Sitney and Oona Mekas Goycoolea. An ongoing series of new experimental work in film and video from emerging, recently established and/or unexpected artists. Anthology is located at 32 2nd Avenue, New York; for more information, call (212) 505-5181.
5/25 ^ New York, New York: Anthology Film Archives ^ http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/ ^ THE HIDDEN FACE OF CZECH (EXPERI)MENTAL FILM ^ 7pm: In the Czech Republic in recent years people have begun to talk about “wild films,” without any attempt at a more rigorous taxonomy, to describe all sorts of genres, but what is important is precisely their defiance of definition. This three-day series (this is day two) of “wild” Czech films exposes them to an international audience at the very moment when the underground river of alternative film is reappearing. Anthology is located at 32 2nd Avenue, New York; for more information, call (212) 505-5181.
5/25 ^ New York, New York: Museum of Modern Art ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/moma/moma.html ^ RUINS (1999) ^ 6pm: In this “fake documentary,” director Jesse Lerner charts the reading of actual ruins in Mexico, the fabrication of artifacts, and hierarchies of the fake and the real. This screening will take place at the Titus 2 Theater, the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York City. For more information, call (212) 708-9400.
5/25 ^ New York, New York: Museum of Modern Art ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/moma/moma.html ^ IMITATION OF CHRIST (1969) ^ 3pm: Directed by Andy Warhol, with Patrick Tilden Close, Ondine, Brigid Berlin, Andrea Feldman and Taylor Mead. A domestic comedy about a strange but beautiful young man who wanders through life oblivious to the complaints of his parents (Ondine and Berlin) and the attempted seductions of his maid (Nico), his girlfriend (Feldman), and Taylor Mead. This screening will take place at the Titus 2 Theater, the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53 Street, New York City. For more information, call (212) 708-9400.
5/25 ^ New York, New York: Video Lounge/Den of Cin ^ http://www.videolounge.org ^ ALLER RETOUR PRESENTED BY PEYOTL ^ 7pm: A selection of video works by emerging artists exploring both image and sound through performance, music, dance all with a sense of humor. Curated by the artistic collective Peyotl, the program includes: Loac Connanski’s NATIONALE 1000 (1991) and BANDE ANNONCE (1994), Christelle Lheureux’s BUYER WINNER (1997), Philippe Chatelain’s TENKO EXTRAIT DE CORPUSCULES EN MOUVEMENT (1997) and PHIL MINTON EXTRAIT DE CORPUSCULES EN MOUVEMENT (1997), Sebastien Coupy’s SANS TITRE (1994), Tali Hinkis’s IT WAS A COMPLICATED STORY (1998), Mr Schweppes’s IS THIS AMERICA (1997) and others. This event will be held at the Den of Cin, 46 Avenue A at 3rd Street, New York City. For more information, contact Video Lounge at info@videolounge.org.
5/25 ^ New York, New York: Whitney Museum Film and Video Department ^ http://www.echonyc.com/%7Ewhitney/ ^ WHITNEY BIENNIAL FILM PROGRAM: THURSDAY ^ At 2pm: AMERICAN LIFE, including: Nic Nicosia’s MIDDLETOWN (1997), an extended, single-shot digital video in which the camera repeatedly loops around Nicosia’s suburban Dallas neighborhood, taking in events both mundane and slightly bizarre; Robin Bernat’s EFFORTLESS: THREE PRELUDES BY CHOPIN (1998), a beautiful portrait of an oscillating lawn sprinkler that through manipulation of form and image takes on a heightened significance; Chris Sullivan’s CONSUMING SPIRITS: PART ONE (1997-2000), an exploration into the artist’s roots, which shifts between aural and visual vignettes to create an overwhelming atmosphere of loss and inevitability; and Yvonne Welbon’s LIVING WITH PRIDE: RUTH ELLIS @ 100 (1999), a biography of Ruth Ellis, a centenarian African-American lesbian, covering a time span from World War I through the Civil Rights movement to the women’s and gay and lesbian liberation movements. At 6:10pm: Harmony Korine’s GUMMO (1998): Shot in Tennessee, where Korine grew up, and using mostly family, friends and local residents, GUMMO presents a series of dispassionate vignettes that explore the historical identity and daily concerns and desires of its working- class characters. For full details and program schedule, or further information, contact the Film and Video Department at the Whitney Museum of American Art at (212) 570-3617 or (212) 570-7754.
5/25 ^ Paris, France: CinÃ©mathÃ¨que FranÃ§aise ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/ctf/ctf.html ^ JEUNE DURE ET PURE, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM IN FRANCE: PROGRAMME 32 ^ 7pm: MOVIE RE-INVENTED: HOMMAGE Ã€ MÃ‰LIÃˆS (PROCHAINEMENT SUR CET Ã‰CRAN) (Robert Filliou, 1968), EX (Jacques Monory, 1968), LE RÃ‰VÃ‰LATEUR (Philippe Garrel, 1968), L’HOMME QUI TOUSSE Christian Boltanski, 1969), L’HOMME QUI LÃˆCHE (Christian Boltanski, 1969), TOUT CE DONT JE ME SOUVIENS (Christian Boltanski, 1969), COMMENT POUVONS-NOUS LE SUPPORTER (Christian Boltanski, 1969). Garrel, Boltanski avaient alors vingt ans et dans leurs films passe, comme dit Brad Stevens Ã propos du RÃ©vÃ©lateur, “l’expÃ©rience de toute une vie.”
5/25 ^ Paris, France: CinÃ©mathÃ¨que FranÃ§aise ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/ctf/ctf.html ^ JEUNE DURE ET PURE, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM IN FRANCE: PROGRAMME 33 ^ 9:30pm: VITE (Daniel Pommereulle, 1969), DEUX FOIS (Jackie Raynal, 1969). Patrick Deval: “Le cinÃ©ma rend le monde insupportable. Il ne supporte pas la bÃ©atification de la poÃ©sie, il en exige la rÃ©alitÃ©.” Deux des chefs d’Å“uvre du groupe Zanzibar.
5/25 ^ San Francisco, California: Artists Television Access ^ http://www.atasite.org/ ^ BREAKING THE BANK ^ 8pm: A challenge to the IMF/World Bank documentary. Artists’ Television Access is located at 992 Valencia, San Francisco; for more information, call (415) 824-3890.
5/25 ^ San Francisco, California: San Francisco Cinematheque ^ http://www.sfcinematheque.org ^ ARTISTS AT WORK: THE DAY JOB ^ 7:30pm: Curated and Presented by Claire Bain; Gail Camhi, Alfred Hernandez, Pelle Lowe and Ken Paul Rosenthal in person. Made by artists at and about their day jobs or in order to address larger issues of economic survival, ARTISTS AT WORK is an eclectic selection of films and videos that literally grew out of these artists’ labors. Instead of letting work impair the creative spirit, these artists have integrated it into their process. While organized around the theme of employment, tonight’s program probes deeper issues of societal power structures and the economic necessity to comply with authority. Underlying themes include questions of dignity and survival, and the artists’ approaches range from overt questioning to simply deciding to make art while on the job during stolen (or reclaimed) moments. Included are: LIVING IN THE WORLD (excerpt) by Joe Gibbons; COFFEE BREAK by Gail Camhi; WORK ART WORK by Alfred Hernandez; AT PHOTO MOTION, AT SUCH A BUSINESS, and SAN FRANCISCO by Ken Paul Rosenthal; UNEMPLOYMENT PORTRAYAL by Saul Levine; VEL RICHARDS’ LUNCHTIME OFFICE ERGONOMICS SEMINAR by Claire Bain; and the bitterly beautiful SMOKE by Pelle Lowe. This event will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission Street, San Francisco. For more information, call the Cinematheque at (415) 558-8129.
5/25 ^ San Jose, California: Cine16 ^ http://www.cine16.com/ ^ ROBERT EMMETT PRESENTS, PART II: MAN, ART, HISTORY, AND JACOB BRONOWSKI ^ 7pm: There was a time when a liberal arts education was a valued possession: the thought was to expose you to a wide variety of subjects and disciplines, to allow you to become a well rounded member of society. As important as this education still is today, rarely do liberal arts graduates become a Jacob Bronowski. This learned man shows us the joy of being familiar with a great number of subjects. Through lectures, books, and films he taught by incorporating diverse perspectives. By using great works of art and literature alongside science theorems, learning became multidimensional. In his last project, THE ASCENT OF MAN series, he states: “Man ascends by discovering the fullness of his own gifts…what he creates on the way are monuments to the stages in his understanding of nature and of self.” GRAIN IN THE STONE (Mick Jackson, 1974): In this episode from THE ASCENT OF MAN series, we see how to apply the concepts of architecture to the arts, to science, to history, and to civilization. By skillfully weaving science, aesthetics, history and philosophy, exemplified by the Pueblos of Arizona, Grecian ruins, and the Watts Towers, Bronowski’s imagination and insight allows us to gain a better understanding of the Ascent of Man. Also on the program, MATISSE: A SORT OF PARADISE (Lawrence Gowing and John Jones 1969): This film was particularly memorable to me as the document which finally put Matisse into sense, historically speaking. LION’S DEN (Dr. Doolittle) (Lotte Reiniger, 1928): Lotte Reiniger, was one of the early giants of animation. Her style consisted of elaborately staged silhouettes, and LION’S DEN is a ten-minute excerpt from her 65-minute DR. DOOLITTLE which she distributed for the school market in the early 1950s. Cine 16 is held at the Agenda Restaurant and Lounge, 399 South First Street, San Jose, California, and admission is free.
5/25 ^ Seattle, Washington: Blackchair Productions ^ http://www.microcinema.com ^ INDEPENDENT EXPOSURE: MAY SHOWERS EDITION ^ 7:30pm: Blackchair Productions’ fifth season April Showers Edition of Independent Exposure will include short film, video and digital works from around the world. This event will be held at the Speakeasy Cafe’s Backroom Microcinema, 2304 2nd Avenue in Belltown, Seattle. For more information, contact Joel S. Bachar at info@blackchair.com or (206) 568-6051.
5/25 ^ Seattle, Washington: The Little Theater ^ http://www.emeraldreels.com/index_satellites.htm ^ ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET ^ 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30pm: Screenings of ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET (Michael Almereyda, 1992), a Hartleyesque feature film shot entirely in New York’s East Village on a Fischer Price Pixelvision toy camera by the creator of unusually quirky US indies like the vampire film NADJA and the recently-released HAMLET. The Little Theater is located at 608 19th Avenue East in Seattle; for more information, call (206) 675-2055.
FRIDAY, MAY 26, 2000 ^ 5/26 ^ Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Filmmakers ^ http://www.chicagofilmmakers.org/ ^ MYSTERY WORLDS: THE FILMS OF JANIE GEISER ^ 8pm: Janie Geiser in person! Los Angeles based filmmaker and puppeteer Geiser will present a program of her stunningly beautiful, haunting, and mysterious experimental animated films. Geiser’s work combines cut-out animation, a variety of 3-D objects, and her own drawn images to create mysterious interior worlds and landscapes. Moody and emotionally resonant, Geiser’s films stand apart as miniature psychological narratives which delve into individual and shared memories and subconscious desires and anxieties. Tonight’s program includes two Chicago premieres. LOST MOTION (1999) “uses small cast metal figures, toy trains, decayed skyscrapers, and other found objects to follow a man’s search for a mysterious woman. From an illegible note found on her dollhouse bed, through impossible landscapes, the man waits for her train which never arrives. His wanderings lead him to the opposite side of the tracks, a forgotten landscape of derelict erector set buildings populated by lost souls. Dream merges with nightmare in this post-industrial land of vivid night.” SPIRAL VESSEL (2000): “A found psychological test kit yields puzzle figures with cutout ears, cutoff heads, and pullaway noses. The ear opens into an interior world of shifting science book images which, when isolated, evoke mysteries more than they reveal facts.” IMMER ZU (1997): “In this dark and richly atmospheric film, with a soundtrack collaged from several film noirs, meaning is constantly covered and uncovered in a shadowed journey toward eclipse.” Also showing are THE RED BOOK (1994) and THE SECRET STORY (1996). All 16mm. This event will be held in the Ferguson Theater of Columbia College, 600 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago. For more information, call Chicago Filmmakers at (773) 293-1447.
5/26 ^ London, England: The Lux ^ http://www.lea.org.uk/home_frm.html ^ CRITICAL IMAGES II / DVOLUTION: DVERSE II AND PLEASURE IN STREAMING ^ Screenings as part of the ciII//:DVolution conference. Today, DVERSE II, a showcase and surgery for students and young artists working with DV. Also PLEASURE IN STREAMING: Sputnik7 present the cult manga hit X in this pioneering screening of a net-streamed feature film. This event will be held at the Lux Centre for Film, Video and Digital Arts , 2-4 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU; for more information, call the Lux Centre at 020 7684 0200.
5/26 ^ New York, New York: Anthology Film Archives ^ http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org/ ^ THE HIDDEN FACE OF CZECH (EXPERI)MENTAL FILM ^ 7pm: In the Czech Republic in recent years people have begun to talk about “wild films,” without any attempt at a more rigorous taxonomy, to describe all sorts of genres, but what is important is precisely their defiance of definition. This three-day series (this is day three) of “wild” Czech films exposes them to an international audience at the very moment when the underground river of alternative film is reappearing. Anthology is located at 32 2nd Avenue, New York; for more information, call (212) 505-5181.
5/26 ^ New York, New York: Museum of Modern Art ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/moma/moma.html ^ RUINS (1999) ^ 3pm: A “fake documentary” that charts the reading of actual ruins in Mexico, the fabrication of artifacts, and hierarchies of the fake and the real. For more details, see May 25.
5/26 ^ New York, New York: Video Lounge/Anthology Film Archives ^ http://www.videolounge.org ^ RUSSIAN NECROREALIST FILMS: SILVER HEADS ^ 7pm: Necrorealism was established as a radical movement in the Leningrad art scene with several “parallel” or underground films, those made outside the Goskino State Cinema system. Filmmaker Yevgeniy Yufit explains his 1998 necrorealist film SILVER HEADS (1998): “The declared program of the Soviet Union was the creation of a superior human being. More than just an improvement the Communist State promised the evolution of a new creature, something different and better than a human. Genetic, social, and psychoanalytic programs dictate the solution: hybridize a person with a tree.” Instead of knocking some sense into people, Yufit’s scientists plot to pound some wood into them. Anthology is located at 32 2nd Avenue, New York; for more information, contact Video Lounge at info@videolounge.org.
5/26 ^ New York, New York: Whitney Museum Film and Video Department ^ http://www.echonyc.com/%7Ewhitney/ ^ WHITNEY BIENNIAL FILM PROGRAM: FRIDAY ^ At noon: RE-THINKING DOCUMENTARY, including: Ruth Leitman’s ALMA (1998), a film essay about disavowal and discovery through the portrait of an idiosyncratic Southern woman, Alma Thorpe, her daughter, and their learning of dark family secrets. At 3pm: Elisabeth Subrin’s SHULIE (1997), a precise shot-for-shot, line-for-line re-creation of a little-known 1967 documentary on Shulamith Firestone, a pivotal feminist writer; and Anne Makepeace’s BABY, IT’S YOU (1998), a document of an emotionally and physically painful year in which Makepeace and her husband try to have a baby. For full details and program schedule, or further information, contact the Film and Video Department at the Whitney Museum of American Art at (212) 570-3617 or (212) 570-7754.
5/26 ^ Portland, Oregon: Portland Art Museum ^ http://www.nwfilm.org/exhibition_nowplaying.html ^ 26TH BEST OF THE NWFILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL ^ 7pm: Join us as we smack a bottle of champagne against this year’s Tour, a collection of critical and audience favorites from the 26th Northwest Film and Video Festival. Okay, so the Tour has already played to eager crowds in Anchorage and Haines Alaska and the Pacific Cinematheque in BC, but it still needs a proper send-off before it travels to Seattle, Olympia, Bend, Eugene, Kalispell, Montana and even Athens, Georgia. This screening will take place at the Whitsell Auditorium of the North West Film Center, 1219 SW Park, Portland. For more information, call (503) 221-1156.
5/26 ^ Rochester, New York : George Eastman House ^ http://www.eastman.org ^ SICILIA! AND MACHORKA-MUFF ^ 8pm: Rochester Premiere. DaniÃ¨le Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub return with SICILIA! (1999), a film experience in four movements. Adapted from Elio Vittorini’s noted novel CONVERSATIONS IN ITALY, this is the tale of a nameless nomad returning home to Italy after a long absence and his odd encounters with friends, family, and unknowns along the way. There are bites of Bresson and dashes of Godard, but always this stunning film is marked with the indelible imprint of two great cinematic pioneers. Plus: MACHORKA-MUFF (Huillet and Straub,1962), a masterful short stab at militarism’s rise in West Germany. This event will take place at the Dryden Theater at the George Eastman House, 900 East Avenue Rochester, NY. For more information, call (716) 271-4090.
5/26 ^ San Francisco, California: Artists Television Access ^ http://www.atasite.org/ ^ OPEN SCREENING ^ 8pm: Bring your video or 16mm film and watch it on the big screen! Artists’ Television Access is located at 992 Valencia, San Francisco; for more information, call (415) 824-3890.
5/26 ^ Seattle, Washington: 911 Media Arts Center ^ http://www.911media.org/ ^ SUBVERT-IT! ^ 8pm: The constant barrage of corporate imagery infused into the modern world seems impossible to turn off. What’s an artist / activist to do? Thanks to the power of the media, in the right hands, clever individuals and small groups can perform cultural jujitsu on the mighty forces of global capitalism. SUBVERT-IT! showcases video projects that use humor, politics and brilliant flip-flops to topple multinational beasts like McDonalds, Coke and even local Octopus Big-M. Works include: MCLIBEL: TWO WORLDS COLLIDE (One-Off Productions), the inside story of a single father and a part-time bar worker who took on the McDonalds Corporation; ENJOY THE MOVIE (Gordon Winiemko and Julie Wyman), an examination of the filmmakers’ strange obsession, a two story neon Coca Cola sign; WTO SEATTLE (Adbusters), a two minute anti-WTO commercial; THE PIES THE LIMIT (Whispered Media), about taking on the fat cats with the oldest gag in the book, a pie in the face; and BRINGING IT ALL TO YOU (Â®tMark), a collection of clever campaigns design to generate press buzz and make our message heard. This event will be held at 911 Media Arts Center, 117 Yale Ave N., Seattle; for more information, call (206) 682-6552.
5/26 ^ Seattle, Washington: The Little Theater ^ http://www.emeraldreels.com/index_satellites.htm ^ ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET ^ 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30pm: Screenings of ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET (Michael Almereyda, 1992). For more details, see May 25.
SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2000 ^ 5/27 ^ London, England: The Lux ^ http://www.lea.org.uk/home_frm.html ^ CRITICAL IMAGES II / DVOLUTION: ASYLUM AND THE TARGET SHOOTS FIRST ^ Screenings as part of the ciII//:DVolution conference. At 7pm: ASYLUM (Chris Petit + Iain Sinclair, 2000): A tangled skein of fact and science-fairytale set in a future where a virus has destroyed TV’s memory files. At 9pm: THE TARGET SHOOTS FIRST (Christopher Wilcha , 1999): The film every office drone secretly wants to make: an exposÃ© of the caste systems and managerial culture of their workplace. It is also the story of how the music industry assimilated the counter-cultural forces of grunge rock. This event will be held at the Lux Centre for Film, Video and Digital Arts , 2-4 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU; for more information, call the Lux Centre at 020 7684 0200.
5/27 ^ London, England: The Lux ^ http://www.lea.org.uk/home_frm.html ^ CRITICAL IMAGES II / DVOLUTION: THE CONFERENCE ^ 10am-5pm: ciII//:DVolution! is a series of artists’ presentations, seminars, screenings and live events. Following the success of last year’s critical images/critical mass, the Lux once again brings together an impressive line-up of cross-media practitioners and thinkers to map and debate the issues at the leading edge of contemporary moving-image making. Speakers include Nick Crowe, Jon Jost, Christopher Wilcha, Ana Kronshnabl, Animal Charm, Lev Manovich and Chris Darke. Also, the ATARI DAY OF WORSHIP, a chilled afternoon of devotional gaming from the brand-leader in lo-fi nostalgia, with visuals by Hexstatic. This event will be held at the Lux Centre for Film, Video and Digital Arts , 2-4 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU; for more information, call the Lux Centre at 020 7684 0200.
5/27 ^ New York, New York: Millennium Film Workshop ^ http://www.millenniumfilm.org/ ^ PETER ROSE ^ A program of film and video with works that span more than three decades. INCANTATION (1968), THE MAN WHO COULD NOT SEE FAR ENOUGH (1981), SECONDARY CURRENTS (1982â€“90), PRESSURES OF THE TEXT (1983), METALOGUE (1996), VIRTUAL OBJECTS AND EMBODIED IMAGES (1998), THE DARKENING (2000). Peter Rose works with film, video, sound and performance to investigate the shifting boundaries of space, time, perception, and thought. His works are known for their technical inventiveness, spirited sense of play, and philosophical engagement and have been distinguished by major awards both here and abroad. This event will take place at Millennium Film Workshop, 66 East 4th Street, New York City. For more information, call (212) 673-0090.
5/27 ^ New York, New York: Museum of Modern Art ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/moma/moma.html ^ ALAN BERLINER: FOUR CORNER TIME ^ 5pm: Screenings of EVERYWHERE AT ONCE (1985), INTERSECTION (1976), LINE (1976), NATURAL HISTORY (1983), PERIMETER (1976) and TRAFFIC LIGHT (1976). For more details, see May 21.
5/27 ^ New York, New York: Whitney Museum Film and Video Department ^ http://www.echonyc.com/%7Ewhitney/ ^ WHITNEY BIENNIAL FILM PROGRAM: SATURDAY ^ At noon: RE-THINKING DOCUMENTARY, including: Jill Godmilow’s WHAT FAROCKI TAUGHT (1998), a re-enactment, in color and English, Harun Farocki’s original 1969 black-and-white, German-language documentary, INEXTINGUISHABLE FIRE, about Dow Chemical’s development of napalm B during the Vietnam war; and Craig Baldwin’s SPECTRES OF THE SPECTRUM (1999), the story of the Hacker family and their role in the underground rebellion against the New Electromagnetic Order. At 3pm: Jem Cohen and Fugazi’s INSTRUMENT (1999), a portrait of the politically progressive punk band Fugazi, a group that relentlessly refuses to work within the mainstream of the music industry. For full details and program schedule, or further information, contact the Film and Video Department at the Whitney Museum of American Art at (212) 570-3617 or (212) 570-7754.
5/27 ^ Paris, France: CinÃ©mathÃ¨que FranÃ§aise ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/ctf/ctf.html ^ JEUNE DURE ET PURE, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM IN FRANCE: PROGRAMME 34 ^ 7pm: LE ROUGE (GÃ©rard Fromanger, avec Marin Karmitz, 1969), NOUVELLE SOCIÃ‰TÃ‰ NÂ° 5, 6 ET 7 (Groupe Slon-Medvedkine, 1969), RHODIA 4/8 (Groupe Slon-Medvedkine, 1969), BRITISH SOUNDS (Jean-Luc Godard et Jean-Henri Roger, 1969). Sommets du pamphlet politique.
5/27 ^ Paris, France: CinÃ©mathÃ¨que FranÃ§aise ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/ctf/ctf.html ^ JEUNE DURE ET PURE, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM IN FRANCE: PROGRAMME 35 ^ 9:30pm: L’HOMME NU (Georges Rey, 1969), LA SOURCE DE LA LOIRE (Georges Rey, 1969), LA VACHE QUI RUMINE (Georges Rey, 1969), GRAPHYTY (Jean-Pierre Bouyxou, 1969), PRAVDA (Groupe Dziga Vertov, 1969), CINÃ‰MA, CINÃ‰MA (Jean-Pierre Lajournade, 1969). Films insolents.
5/27 ^ Portland, Oregon: Portland Art Museum ^ http://www.nwfilm.org/exhibition_nowplaying.html ^ 26TH BEST OF THE NWFILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL ^ 7pm: Join us as we smack a bottle of champagne against this year’s Tour, a collection of critical and audience favorites from the 26th Northwest Film and Video Festival. For more details, see May 26.
5/27 ^ Saga City, Kyushu, Japan: Eiga Arts ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/eiga/eiga.html ^ THE TRIALS AND ERRORS OF JOSS WINN: VIDEO, FILM AND PERFORMANCE, 1998-2000 ^ 7:30pm: Works will include: THINKING AND BATHING (1998), about the impossibility of knowing another person; HEAT AND NOISE (1998), a day with the KKK; WAKATTA (1998), about the impossibility of knowing; DIY (1999), a “home movie” in many different senses; WORN OUT (1999), a performance/portrait of myself left to chance; JO LIKES TO SLEEP BUT JOSS LIKES TO LISTEN TO MUSIC IN THE MORNING (1999); JO LIKES TO EAT SLOWLY BUT JOSS LIKES TO EAT QUICKLY (1999); SADNESS: A SONG OF THE SEA IN A MINOR KEY (1999); THESE ARE THE
VIEWS I CAN RECALL (1999); MUM AND DAD USE A WINDOW (1999); FOR DAD: MOVEMENTS THAT WE MISSED (2000); IF YOU GO TO OKINAWA, HEAD NORTH (2000); and maybe one more if edited it in time. This event will take place at the third floor (room 3F) of Gallery Yu, Shirayama, Saga City, Japan. For more information, call 0952-68-4722.
5/27 ^ San Francisco, California: Other Cinema ^ http://www.othercinema.com/ ^ NEW EXPERIMENTAL WORKS ^ 8:30pm: Our calendar is consummated by our semi-annual N.E.W. night, featuring Jay Rosenblatt, Phil Patiris, Alex Rivera, Matt McCormick, Lynne Sachs, Mark Street, Lori Surfer, K.C. Smith, James Schneider, Daniel Gorrell, Kurt Keppeler, Bryan Boyce, Pablo Leighton, John Douglas, Louise Bourque and Animal Charm. This screening will take place at Artists’ Television Access, 992 Valencia, San Francisco; for more information, call (415) 824-3890.
5/27 ^ Seattle, Washington: 911 Media Arts Center ^ http://www.911media.org/ ^ WEBFLICKS ^ 12 noon: 911 is pleased to bring present WebFlicks, a screening series dedicated to presenting the best of Internet distributed video and animation. Highlighting work from both IPO dot-commers and NPO dot-orgers (translation businessmen and artists), WebFlicks continues to expose NW audiences to creative content from the high-bandwidth, high-tech world. At today’s show we will look at the efforts of creators and curators. The first half will showcase short streaming video and animation found on a collection of cool websites. During the second half a Q and A with an accomplished panel will address the multitude of questions associated with this new medium. The panel will consist of: Scott O. Moore, Artistic Director / CEO Slammedia.com; Byron, Artist Texturadesign.com; Janet Galore, Creative Director Honkworm.com; and Joel S. Bachar, Founder of Microcinema, Inc./Blackchair Productions Microcinema.com. This event will be held at 911 Media Arts Center, 117 Yale Ave N., Seattle; for more information, call (206) 682-6552.
5/27 ^ Seattle, Washington: Cinema 18 / Seattle Underground Film Festival ^ http://www.emeraldreels.com/index_satellites.htm ^ THE CINEMA EXPLOSION: AN EVENING OF EXPERIMENTAL FILMS ^ 8pm: The CINEMA EXPLOSION program will include works by Stan Brakhage, Steve Creson, Jon Behrens, and a screening of the award-winning film LOVE STALKS by Joseph Guindi. This event will take place at Cinema 18, 1412 18th Avenue in Seattle. For more information contact acmecinema@aol.com or call (206) 860-8590.
5/27 ^ Seattle, Washington: The Little Theater ^ http://www.emeraldreels.com/index_satellites.htm ^ ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET ^ 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30pm: Screenings of ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET (Michael Almereyda, 1992). For more details, see May 25.
SUNDAY, MAY 28, 2000 ^ 5/28 ^ Boulder, Colorado: University of Colorado-Boulder ^ SUNDAY EVENING WITH BRAKHAGE ^ 7:30pm: Each Sunday evening Stan Brakhage is host for a gathering of friends and film buffs to view films and videotapes from his incredible collection. For more details, see May 21.
5/28 ^ London, England: The Lux ^ http://www.lea.org.uk/home_frm.html ^ CRITICAL IMAGES II / DVOLUTION: CLUB CULTURE JAM ^ Screenings as part of the ciII//: DVolution conference. Today, CLUB CULTURE JAM: Scratching the surface of corporate culture, with a live tic-ridden montage from Chicago VJs Animal Charm, while RTMark Bring IT to You! and the Space Hi-jackers take over the building. This event will be held at the Lux Centre for Film, Video and Digital Arts , 2-4 Hoxton Square, London N1 6NU; for more information, call the Lux Centre at 020 7684 0200.
5/28 ^ New York, New York: Museum of Modern Art ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/moma/moma.html ^ IMITATION OF CHRIST (1969) ^ 2 and 5pm: A domestic comedy directed by Andy Warhol, with Patrick Tilden Close, Ondine, Brigid Berlin, Andrea Feldman and Taylor Mead. For more details, see May 25.
5/28 ^ New York, New York: Whitney Museum Film and Video Department ^ http://www.echonyc.com/%7Ewhitney/ ^ WHITNEY BIENNIAL FILM PROGRAM: SUNDAY ^ At noon: Sharon Lockhart’s TEATRO AMAZONAS (1999): Lockhart filled the seats of a 19th-century opera house in Manaus, Brazil, and from a stationary camera position photographed the reactions of the audience to a choral mass. At 3pm: Errol Morris’s FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL (1997): Morris and his Oscar-winning cinematographer, Robert Richardson, use diverse film formats as well as stock footage and clips from old films to create this multinarrative work of subtly related common themes, with characters who include a lion tamer, a topiary expert, and robotics specialist. For full details and program schedule, or further information, contact the Film and Video Department at the Whitney Museum of American Art at (212) 570-3617 or (212) 570-7754.
5/28 ^ Paris, France: CinÃ©mathÃ¨que FranÃ§aise ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/ctf/ctf.html ^ JEUNE DURE ET PURE, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM IN FRANCE: PROGRAMME 36 ^ 7pm: SOCHAUX: 11 JUIN 68 (Collectif de cinÃ©astes et travailleurs de Sochaux, 1970), NO PINCHA (Tobias Engel, 1970). Un Ã©pisode de guerre civile en France, la fresque mÃ©lancolique d’une guÃ©rilla en GuinÃ©e, deux accomplissements du cinÃ©ma politique.
5/28 ^ Paris, France: CinÃ©mathÃ¨que FranÃ§aise ^ http://www.sirius.com/%7Esstark/org/ctf/ctf.html ^ JEUNE DURE ET PURE, 100 YEARS OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM IN FRANCE: PROGRAMME 37
9:30pm: LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN (Philipe Bordier, 1970), ERE ERERA BALEIBU ICIK SUBUA ARUAREN (JosÃ© Antonio Sistiaga, 1970). Sistiaga: “Je vivais en symbiose avec mon matÃ©riel et mes encres, j’aurais pu peindre le film pendant toute la vie.”
5/28 ^ Seattle, Washington: The Little Theater ^ http://www.emeraldreels.com/index_satellites.htm ^ ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET ^ 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30pm: Screenings of ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET (Michael Almereyda, 1992). For more details, see May 25.
5/28 ^ Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York: Ocularis ^ http://www.billburg.com/ocularis/ ^ A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE (1974) ^ 8:30pm: Cassavetes’s masterpiece is a stunning actor-driven exploration of marriage, family and normality, anchored by Gena Rowlands’s portrayal of a colorful, possibly crazy, definitely misunderstood, and ultimately institutionalized housewife. As always, Cassavetes’s signature brand of humanism coalesces out of the most desperate and inarticulate moments of a person’s life, and his version of “happily ever after” has a strange, but invigorating, aftertaste. Ocularis is at Galapagos Art and Performance Space, 70 North 6th Street (between Wythe and Kent Avenues) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For more information, call (718) 388-8713.
Let Craig know about your alternative film/video event! Send your event announcements and subscription requests to Craig Fischer at fischercj@conrad.appstate.edu.