From: Weekly Listing (email suppressed)
Date: Sun Mar 25 2007 - 09:24:19 PDT
Part 2 of 2: This week [March 25 - April 1, 2007] in avant garde cinema
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FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2007
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3/30
New York, New York: Millennium Film Workshop
http://www.millenniumfilm.org/
8pm- Friday evening, 66 East 4th Street (Between Bowery & 2nd Avenue)
26TH ANNUAL BLACK MARIA FILM/VIDEO FESTIVAL
A selection of award-winning independent films and videos from the 2007
festival. Festival director and co-founder, JOHN COLUMBUS will be
present to introduce and discuss the works shown. Black Maria, one of
the most well known festivals of new film and video in the United
States, organizes a travelling showcase tour of 40 or more works,
exhibiting at more than 50 host organizations. Each program presents a
different selection of outstanding recent films and videos.
3/30
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
10:30 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
THE INSIGNIFICANT OTHER
The Insignificant Other DIR NAIL CHIODO FEATURE 16MM ON VIDEO 88:55 MIN
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE Mostly shot in 1978, production interrupted for
"lack of funds," negative lost by the lab, The Insignificant Other make
its public debut 29 years later: not on schedule, but right on time.
"The time is the summer of 1978, the place an elegant country villa in
the outskirts of Padua, Italy. Lisa and Bob, two American yuppies in
their mid-twenties, have been invited to sojourn there during their
vacations by the owner, Cesare, though he be absent; neither was
forewarned, however, of the other's probable presence. Several months
later, in the course of a visit to the villa in the company of two of
his lady friends, Cesare—who has received letters of complaint from Lisa
and Bob about their experiences while they were his guests—reflects in
depth, from his own cosmopolitan perspective, on what may have occurred
to make their stays so unpleasant." - N. Chiodo
3/30
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
6:15 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
NATURAL HIGH (SHORTS PROGRAM)
Light Work 1 by JENNIFER REEVES EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 8:00 MIN "Symbols of
20th century science, industry, medicine and madness are mixed in
rhythmic molecular forms, morphing frequencies and colorful visual
textures." – J. Reeves --Evergreen by ROBERT TODD EXPERIMENTAL 16MM
15:00 MIN "A short film reflecting on the act of landscape as
portraiture. This is the second in a series of representations of urban
nature under siege." – R. Todd -- Fading Star by JOHN STANDIFORD
ANIMATION 16MM 18:00 MIN This meditative film enchants the myths of
westward expansion into a single rail car, a dreamer passenger, a clear
sky, and a soundtrack that tracks the sounds that go with our history.
-- Qualities of Stone by ROBERT TODD EXPERIMENTAL 16MM 11:00 MIN
"Qualities of Stone presents life under glass. This is the third in a
series on urban naturalism (following Thunder & Evergreen)" - R. Todd --
July Fix by JASON LIVINGSTON EXPERIMENTAL 16MM 2:00 MIN Like a bee's-eye
view of a field of flowers on a bright clear day. Makes pollination look
fun. -- The General Returns from One Place to Another by MICHAEL
ROBINSON EXPERIMENTAL 16MM ON VIDEO 11:00 MIN "Learning to love again,
with fear at its side, the film draws balance between the romantic and
the horrid, shaping a concurrently skeptical and indulgent experience of
the beautiful. A Frank O'Hara monologue (from a play of the same title)
attempts to undercut the sincerity of the landscape, but there are
stronger forces surfacing." – M. Robinson -- Origin by HIROMI YOSHIDA
EXPERIMENTAL 16MM ON VIDEO 2:20 MIN "This film signifies fertility,
conception of nature. It was influenced by Japanese indigenous belief
Shintoism." - H. Yoshida
3/30
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
7:00 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
NICE BOMBS
Nice Bombs DOCUMENTARY VIDEO 77:00 MIN NEW YORK PREMIERE In early 2004
Iraq-born filmmaker Usama Alshaibi, his wife, and his father returned to
Baghdad for the first time in 24 years. Less than a year after Saddam's
oust, members of Alshaibi's family are uneasy about the new Iraq—guns
are still everywhere, and explosions are heard with such eerie
regularity that they barely interrupt. Nevertheless, the situation seems
almost dormant, the country seems almost safe, compared to the terrible
echoes of violence now reported daily. And still, Nice Bombs is a
personal documentary focusing on the day-to-day of Alshaibi's
middle-class relatives. They are a family that eats and jokes
together—teasing their American visitors with stories about the war.
Alshaibi's aunt giggles as she reenacts a tale of her husband's rude
awakening from a nap to discover, at eye-level, a just-fired shell on
the living room floor. The filmmaker is resigned about Iraq's wars—he
has scarcely known a time when Iraq wasn't involved in one. Since the
filming of this documentary, things have gotten worse, obviously—that a
personal film such as this could have been made in 2004 Iraq is
surprising; that it could be now made in 2007 Iraq is inconceivable, and
evidence of the growing disconnect between the portrayal of occupied
Iraq and the Iraq of its citizens and families, now scattered all over
the world. Usama Alshaibi is a Chicago based filmmaker and the director
of Muhammad and Jane, a narrative feature, as well as more than thirty
shorts.
3/30
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
8:00 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
WELCOME TO NORMAL (SHORTS PROGRAM)
For a Blonde... For a Brunette... For Someone... For Her... For You...
by MIKE OLENICK EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 5:57 MIN "For a Blonde... For a
Brunette... For Someone... For Her... For You... is an interactive
(karaoke-style) reenactment of a key scene from Vertigo as performed by
the filmmaker and the audience. – M. Olenick -- First Firing by KELLY
OLIVER, KEARY ROSEN EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 2:38 MIN "Puppy dog tails to
liver spots. After all that work I wasn't invited to the first firing"-
K. Rosen -- Cervesa Atlas by JANICZA BRAVO EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 0:25 MIN
Two women holiday on a small motorboat that seems to be going nowhere.
-- The Boy in the Air by LYN ELLIOT EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 2:00 MIN "An
enigmatic advertisement inspires a letter. The corporation writes back."
– L. Elliot -- Untitled Film, No. 9 by DAVID BUTLER EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO
5:23 MIN "Just a lyrical trip with one seriously serious guy." – D.
Butler -- Welcome to Normal by MARIANNA ELLENBERG ANIMATION VIDEO 7:00
MIN "An Exquisite Corpse compendium of hypnotic sounds, symptoms and
neurological disorders. Instructional video meets psychedelic
Haiku—treatment is just around the corner! " - M. Ellenberg -- Lake
Affect by JASON LIVINGSTON EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 1:46 MIN "A late season
thunderstorm and its aftermath open a portal to the animal world." – J.
Livingston -- Battleship Potemkin Dance Edit (120 BPM) by MICHAEL
BELL-SMITH EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 12:30 MIN Eisenstein's seminal sequence:
REMIX! -- i am dancin where you can see me by IAIN BONNER EXPERIMENTAL
VIDEO 4:12 MIN "dancin to what we want, dancin when no one watches,
dancing and hurting, dancin and taking chances" – I. Bonner --
(Tommy-Chat Just E-mailed Me) by RYAN TRECARTIN EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 7:15
MIN Relationships develop and disintegrate in Trecartin's study of life
inside and outside an email. No babies were harmed in the making of this
video. Cast: Lizzie, Taya, Megan, Rhett, Junior (cat), Barkev and Ryan.
-- Ask the Insects by STEVE REINKE ANIMATION VIDEO 8:00 MIN "When many
people think of insects, they think of things that bite, sting, eat
their flowers, or get in their food and they would just as soon kill
every one that they see. Many insects though, do a lot of good for
people and this includes some insects that you may not expect to be good
for anything." – The Centre for Distance Learning & Innovation, "Why
Insects are Important"
3/30
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
8:45 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
EACH TIME I KILL
Each Time I Kill DIR DORIS WISHMAN FEATURE VIDEO 83:00 MIN INTERNATIONAL
PREMIERE "A shocking story revealing the brutality of innocence!" -
Original tagline, from Senses of Cinema NYUFF is proud to present the
world premiere of the last film by long-time favorite Doris Wishman.
Wishman completed 95% of EACH TIME I KILL before falling ill and dying
in 2002 at the age of 90. During her illness she wrote extensive notes
on how she wanted the project finished. David Wilson, the film's
producer, writes, "Each Time I Kill is the final - and most shocking -
film from exploitation legend Doris Wishman. The supernatural slashfest
tells the story of shy high school senior Ellie Saunders, who finds a
magic locket that will allow her to trade one physical feature with
anyone she murders. But Ellie's transformation leads to several
unintended consequences including a final twist that's classic Wishman."
The film will be followed by a Q&A with Wishman friend and biographer
Michael Bowen, so stick around to reminisce about the queen of
sexploitation and the grindhouse era she so epitomized. Wishman was
often quoted as saying when she died she'd continue making films in
hell. All we can say is that we look forward to seeing her, and all of
you, in hell.
3/30
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
9:45 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
EARTHLY DELIGHTS (SHORTS PROGRAM)
Something Else DIR KEVIN JEROME EVERSON EXPERIMENTAL 16MM ON VIDEO 2:00
MIN "A short film about the found footage as subject matter, and Miss
Black Roanoke, Virginia 1971 expressing her thoughts about the upcoming
Miss Black Virginia 1971 Pageant." - K. Everson -- Chin Music DIR MARK
HOOD DOCUMENTARY 16MM ON VIDEO 13:18 MIN "Captures the candid insight of
an American World War II veteran, Hans Dam. Hans is a relentless hunter
for the spectacular and demonstrates that life does not have to slow
down with age." - M. Hood -- Between Me and Earth DIR CHRISTOPHER MINER
EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 18:00 MIN "Between Me and Earth centers on the
artist's trip to Niagara Falls with his girlfriend. The video unfolds
against a backdrop of striking vistas and man-made sites, contrasting
natural beauty with tawdry tourist traps. In his accompanying monologue,
Miner uses the quixotic goal of going over Niagara Falls in a barrel as
a metaphor for a monumental decision concerning his own sexual and
religious commitments." - Manie Tinkler -- Eyeshot DIR DIANA HEISE
DOCUMENTARY VIDEO 19:54 MIN While serving in Vietnam, Bill Kayfus held
his 8mm home movie camera in one hand, and his machine gun in the other.
He recollects 30 years later in this investigation into fighting and
recalling the images of war. -- Valley of the Castles (Hunting Eagles)
DIR RUTH MACLENNAN EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 19:50 MIN "Follows the artist's
journey in South-eastern Kazakhstan to film traditional Kazakh eagle
hunters. The film captures the hunter's relationship of trust with his
bird. At the same time, the idea of an authentic experience, and
authentic view of Kazakh culture, is challenged by the conflicts that
unfold, and the Hollywoodesque performance by the hunters." – R.
Maclennan
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SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2007
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3/31
Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Filmmakers
http://www.chicagofilmmakers.org/
7:00pm, Chicago Filmmakers (5243 N. Clark St.)
OPEN SCREENING
What? Your film didn't receive an Academy Award last month? Not even
nominated? Well, stop on by and show it to an audience who does want to
see it. No fancy special effects, A-list celebrities, Grammy-winning
composers, or best-selling novel adaptations necessary. We'll show
whatever comes through the door (except x-rated work, sorry!). Bring
some work to show or just come to watch. Accepted formats: BetaSP,
Mini-DV, DVD, VHS, and 16mm. Recommended maximum length is 15 minutes,
but we'll try to accommodate everything, no matter how long. Admission
is free!
3/31
Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong
---, School of Creative Media
MASTER OF ARTS IN MEDIA CULTURES (MAMC)
The School of Creative Media of City University of Hong Kong invites
application to Master of Arts in Media Cultures (MAMC). Programme
Duration: 2-Year Part-time OR 1-Year Full-time. Features of the
programme: advanced training in media and cultural studies, with an
emphasis on digital culture (not a production-centered programme);
strong interdisciplinary; curricular emphases: "Media Theory and
History" and "Analysis and Methods of Institutional Practices"; highly
relevant to the new secondary liberal studies curriculum. Application
continues until 31 March 2007. Application materials are available at
http://www.cityu.edu.hk/prospectus.
3/31
Hong Kong: School of Creative Media
http://www.cityu.edu.hk/scm
----, City University of Hong Kong
MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVE MEDIA (MFACM)
The School of Creative Media of City University of Hong Kong invites
application to Master of Fine Arts in Creative Media (MFACM). Programme
Duration: 2-Year Full-time. Features of the programme: international and
distinguished faculty from the fields of media art and production;
trans-disciplinary approaches to artistic and cultural production; solid
training and practice in both the technology and aesthetics of media
art.
3/31
NFT 3, BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT: London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
http://www.llgff.org.uk
4pm, Bankside, SE1
JACK SMITH & THE DESTRUCTION OF ATLANTIS
Jack Smith - self-made creature of fantasy, documenter of real magic -
is best-known for his baroque orgiastic celebration Flaming Creatures, a
film banned in 22 states and four countries. Adopted as a cause celebré,
Smith was so disgusted with the commercial art machine, that he never
again made another 'finished product'. An anarchist, Smith declared art
his only authority as he constructed fantastical utopias populated with
bejewelled animals, a coterie of costumed 'creatures', and magical
debris gathered from downtown New York. Although increasingly bitter as
others cannibalised his work, he never stopped his manic quest for
glamorous liberation. An assemblage of archival photographs, rare film
and audio clips, Jordan's film offers a sumptuous portrait of this
mystic and madman who irrevocably altered the fields of experimental
theatre, photography, performance and avant-garde film. (Kyle Stephan)
Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis (Mary Jordan, USA, 2006, 96
mins)
3/31
NFT 3, BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XT: London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
http://www.llgff.org.uk
6.10pm, Bankside, SE1
FLAMING CREATURES & BLONDE COBRA
A double bill of two gloriously primitive flicks that define and
transcend the idea of 'underground' film. Flaming Creatures, Jack
Smith's impoverished, epic fantasy of Babylonian proportions, is a
decadent celebration of the joy and torment of existence. This
bleached-out orgiastic rite, all limp penises and shaking breasts, is
populated by a blonde vampire, exotic Spanish dancers and androgynous
bohemian poseurs. Blonde Cobra, as close to an authentic portrait of
Smith that we have, is propelled by a delirious monologue (witness the
scurrilous tale of Madame Nescience and Mother Superior) and was shot
amongst the rubble of his apartment. The two films were premiered
together in April 1963, and remain fresh, provocative and startlingly
original over 40 years later. (Mark Webber) Blonde Cobra (Ken Jacobs &
Bob Fleischner, USA, 1959-63, 33 mins) plus Flaming Creatures (Jack
Smith, USA, 1963, 45 mins)
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
1:30 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
RED WITHOUT BLUE (REPEATED SCREENING)
Red without Blue DIR BROOKE SEBOLD, BENITA NASCHOLD SILLS, TODD SILLS
DOCUMENTARY VIDEO 74:06 MIN NEW YORK PREMIERE "In 1983, Mark and
Alexander Farley were born just minutes apart in Big Sky Country as
identical twin boys. Twenty-three years later, Mark is apartment hunting
with his boyfriend in San Francisco, and Alex is living as a woman named
Clair. Red Without Blue explodes our notions of self-hood and sexual
identity through its intimate look at the unconventional relationship
between Mark and Clair as they mature into adulthood. Captured over a
period of three years, RWB follows the twins and their parents,
documenting the Farley's struggle to redefine their family." – B. Sebold
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
10:00 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
TUBE TIME LIVE ONLINE VIDEO GAMESHOW!!!
It's TUBE TIME!! -- Encore, encore! 2007's fabulous follow-up to 2006's
groundbreaking gameshow promises to unleash the wildest content
known–until now–only to the most provocative laptops. Forget WWF, this
horse and pony show is strictly WWW. Famous, sexy and funny NYUFF
celebrities go head-to-head, competing to put the most outrageous videos
they find on the Internet onto the silver screen. That means fucking
crazy. Your applause will crown the new champ. Hosted by Gabe Liedman
(At Night with Gabe and Jenny). Contestants include Rich Juzwiak (Four
Four blog), Chelsea Perreti and crew, Paddy Johnson (Art Fag City), John
Michael Boling, Ben Coonley, John Seroff, Joe Johnston, Jaime Pereira,
Cat Krudy, John Thomson, Matt Savitsky, Dan Carbone, Jessica Delfino,
Bobby Langdon, Josh Safdie, Sam Lisenco, Brina Thurston, Naomi
Leibowitz, and queen bee 2006, the one to beat, Kendra Levin.
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
2:30 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
ANTIQUE LANDS (SHORTS PROGRAM), REPEATED SCREENING
Katunayake Free Trade Zone by JESPER NORDAHL experimental 15:00 --
"Katunayake Free Trade Zone is a video recorded from a car within the
Katunayake FTZ, accompanied by music performed and made by the Women's
Centre singing group." – J. Nordahl -- Sand Quarry by RAPHAEL GRISEY
experimental 6:00 -- A group of friends daytrip into the forest to
unearth a slumbering history. -- Battles of Troy by KRASSIMIR TERZIEV
Documentary 51:00 -- Battles of Troy shadows the casting and employment
of 300 Bulgarian athletes as "specialized," low-paid extras in the $185
million movie Troy. In 2003, seeking authentic Mediterranean looks and
physiques for Troy's many battle scenes, Warner Bros. producers
recruited a stock of soldiers from the Sports Academy in Sofia, and
shipped them off to location in Mexico for a 3-month shoot in the desert
heat. To no surprise, inequity abounds, not least when one compares the
Bulgarians' wages to those of Brad Pitt (or to those of the more showbiz
savvy Mexican extras brought on board for crowd shots). As the
production wears on, the men's fantasies of opportunity come apart at
the seams, while their onscreen role as an expendable infantry makes its
inevitable bond with reality.
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
3:30 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
POEMS AND PROBLEMS (SHORTS PROGRAM)
Lost DIR JEANNE FINLEY, JOHN MUSE EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 3:48 MIN "Lost
combines a segment of an audio diary by Chaplin Major Eric Olson with a
single, evolving shot of a former military base where dense fog obscures
and reveals details of the landscape. The original video footage
reframes the moral ambiguities of the diary segment, which chronicles
what Olson calls "a very legitimate shooting" of an Iraqi by American
soldiers and their efforts to assist the Iraqi's widow." – J. Finley --
Untitled Video on Lynne Stewart and Her Conviction, the Law, and Poetry
DIR PAUL CHAN DOCUMENTARY VIDEO 17:30 MIN "A simple and moving portrait
of Lynne F, Stewart, the New York lawyer convicted in 2005 of aiding
Islamic terrorism by smuggling messages out of jail from a client she
was defending, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahman. Now disbarred, Ms. Stewart faces
a 30-year jail sentence. In the portrait, Lynne Stewart talks about her
life as an elementary school librarian, activist and lawyer, and recites
poetry by Blake, Brecht and Ashbury." – Video Data Bank -- Capital DIR
RUTH MACLENNAN EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 16:00 MIN INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE
"Capital is a subjective series of stark encounters and trancelike
wanderings through a city under construction. The unnamed city is
Astana, Kazkahstan's new capital founded by President Nursultan
Nazarbayev in 1997, to consolidate his power base, and make his mark on
the country. The camera acts as an invisible protagonist drifting
through the lives of the city's inhabitants. The voice of a stranger to
the city addresses the founder-ruler, conjuring up visions of the
future, present and past of the unnamed capital. The film evokes a dream
state, and in it, a dreamed up city, somewhere in the world. The dream
city is in conflict with a real, suppressed past and people existing in
that past, who are being forced into a glossy but oppressive future. The
film echoes past tales of travellers to Central Asia, Italo Calvino's
Invisible Cities, and even the Thousand and One Nights where the
story-teller's ability to perform a role and tell a tale is a question
of survival. – R. Maclennan -- The Mendi DIR STEVE REINKE ANIMATION 16MM
ON VIDEO 9:00 MIN "Over found footage from The Mendi--an ethnographic
documentary made for the CBC's Man Alive television show in the
1970s--the narrator tells of his summer as a teenage assistant to the
filmmakers. In the tradition of Bunuel's Land Without Bread." – Video
Data Bank -- The Professor DIR JASON PRICE DOCUMENTARY VIDEO 25:00 MIN
"Former law professor and Supreme Court justice David D. Kpormakpor
served as Interim President of Liberia between 1994-95, during its
disastrous civil war. He now lives alone, on welfare, among thousands of
Liberian refugees, many of whom question why he did not simply take the
money and run when he had the chance." – J. Price
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
4:15 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
MEET MIKE CURATED BY NINA SCHWANSE
Sit back, relax, and enjoy a cup of coffee as you enter the familiar yet
strange world of Mike, the easy-going and clueless alter ego of artist
Michael Smith. Over the years, Mike has worn many different types of
hats and pants in a variety of adventures. What can I say? He's more
than your average Joe, and as good as bridge mix. If you haven't met him
yet, um, well… fasten your belt-buckle. Included in the program are
works made in collaboration with Joshua White.... Mike DIR MICHAEL SMITH
ANIMATION VIDEO 3:44 MIN An intimate peek at Mike's daily ritual. --
Secret Horror DIR MICHAEL SMITH EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 13:24 MIN A regular
evening with Mike turns spooky with the mysterious appearance of a drop
ceiling in his humble abode. -- Go For It DIR MICHAEL SMITH EXPERIMENTAL
VIDEO 4:49 MIN Even the most average of us need a little encouragement
when on the trail. -- Mike Builds a Shelter DIR MICHAEL SMITH
EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 24:05 MIN Preparing for the Big One. -- The MUSCO
Story DIR MICHAEL SMITH EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 5:48 MIN The rise and fall of
a lighting business. Color, music: MUSCO. -- Do It DIR MICHAEL SMITH
EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 3:03 MIN Some helpful advice for struggling artists.
-- Famous Quotes from Art History DIR MICHAEL SMITH EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO
1:24 MIN Mike reads from Henri Matisse's "Notes of a Painter." --
Quinquag DIR MICHAEL SMITH EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 7:58 MIN A brilliant
fusion of art and healing. -- Outstanding Young Men of America DIR
MICHAEL SMITH EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 9:20 MIN Mike revisits the wild parties
of his youth in celebration of an exclusive invitation.
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
5:15 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
LIFE AND TIMES (SHORTS PROGRAM)
NYC Weights & Measures DIR JEM COHEN EXPERIMENTAL 16MM ON VIDEO 6:15 MIN
"My film is a simple gathering of New York City street footage. It was
shot with a spring-wound 16mm Bolex on, above, and below the streets of
Manhattan and Brooklyn and includes footage of the ticker tape parade
for astronaut John Glenn…" – J. Cohen -- According to... DIR KEVIN
JEROME EVERSON EXPERIMENTAL 16MM ON VIDEO 8:45 MIN "According to…, with
a rich source of found footage and shot film, is a short film about
several versions of tragic events in southern rural Black America." – K.
Everson -- Life and Times of Robert Kennedy Starring Gary Cooper DIR
AARON VALDEZ EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 8:00 MIN "Overlayed newsreel footage of
Robert Kennedy and images from the classic Hollywood western High Noon
blur the line between truth and fiction." – A. Valdez -- Review DIR
JENNY PERLIN ANIMATION 16MM ON VIDEO 3:00 MIN "The film combines
headlines about the war in Iraq with interjections from major classical
operas, and receipts from movie tickets and film rentals from the fall
of 2003." – J. Perlin -- Eviction DIR STEVE LOFF DOCUMENTARY VIDEO 5:00
MIN A family is forcefully evicted from their NYC home on the grounds of
a housing code technicality. -- Sway DIR RICHARD SANDLER DOCUMENTARY
VIDEO 33:00 MIN The NYC subway is both the character and setting of this
freeform documentary made from 14 years of NYC subway footage.
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
6:00 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
LEARNING TO LIVE ON YOUR OWN (CURATED BY THOMAS BEARD)
LEARNING TO LIVE ON YOUR OWN -- Saturday, March 31 at 6 PM New York
Underground Film Festival Anthology Film Archives 32 2nd Avenue (at 2nd
Street), NYC http://www.nyuff.com/ -- We are, I am, you are by cowardice
or courage the one who find our way back to this scene carrying a knife,
a camera a book of myths in which our names do not appear. -Adrienne
Rich, from ³Diving Into the Wreck² -- Losing Ground, Patty Chang, 2001,
video, 6 min The grass is green but your legs have failed you, and home
is still so far across the field. Another bold, rigorously embodied
performance tape from the inimitable Patty Chang. -- Underscan, Nancy
Holt, 1974, video, 21 min ³Holt's terrain is her Aunt Ethel's home in
New Bedford, Massachusetts, presented in still images and excerpts from
letters to the artist from her aunt. Holt pays particular attention to
her aunt's poignant story of aging, altering the images by
Œunderscanning¹ them--a technical process that compresses the edges of
the video image--building an intrinsic limitation into the tape: the
compression of time and personal history represented by the images and
narrative. This process echoes Holt's reading, slightly distorting and
compressing the information in the letters as she presents them.² -
Video Data Bank -- And We All Shine On, Michael Robinson, 2006, 16mm, 7
min ³An ill wind is transmitting through the lonely night, its signals
spreading myth and deception along its murky path. Conjuring a vision of
a post-apocalyptic paradise, this unworldly broadcast reveals its hidden
demons via layered landscapes and karaoke, singing the dangers of
mediated spirituality.² - MR -- Regarding the Pain of Susan Sontag
(Notes on Camp), Steve Reinke, 2006, video, 4 min An old path to school
retread. A cartoon sketched while sitting beneath a tree that lies
somewhere between childhood and the grave, your grave. ³Be serious, be
passionate, wake up!² Oh, Sontag, we loved you for your moral urgency,
and maybe we¹ll even take your advice. Or not. -- 3/60: Baume im Herbst,
Kurt Kren, 1960, 16mm, 5 min "The first embodiment of [a] concept of
structural activity in cinema comes in Kren's Baume im Herbst where the
camera as subjective observer is constrained within a systematic or
structural procedure, incidentally the precursors of the most
structuralist aspect of Michael Snow's later work. In this film,
perception of material relationships in the world is seen to be no more
than a product of the structural activity in the work. Art forms
experience." - Malcolm Le Grice, Abstract Film and Beyond -- Blue Light,
Sandra Gibson, 2006, 35mm, 9 min ³This is blue, Trog. Blue!² said Joan
Crawford, with perfect diction and a damaged soul. In the end, her
efforts at teaching that titular troglodyte of her final screen role
proved futile, but like so many moments in a Crawford film, there¹s
something profound beneath the camp. Understanding color, experiencing
its emotional charge, is part of what keeps up human, and this work of
deft light play and painted film by Sandra Gibson serves as a necessary,
monochromatic reminder. -- Expect all this and a few very special
surprises... News travels fast down the wire / breaks up before it hits
home / Throw a rock n' roll song on the fire / learning to live on your
own The Mekons
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
7:00 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
LA TRINCHERA LUMINOSA DEL PRESIDENTE GONZALO
La Trinchera Luminosa del Presidente Gonzalo DIR JIM FINN FEATURE VIDEO
60:00 MIN WORLD PREMIERE (The Shining Trench of Chairman Gonzalo)
"Marching with ardor in the victorious People's War" La Trinchera
Luminosa del Presidente Gonzalo is Jim Finn's vision of one day in a
Shining Path women's prison cellblock/training camp in 1989 Peru. The
ideology (and the eyes) of Chairman Gonzalo presides over the prison
camp in a large mural displayed on one of the exterior walls. His
presence is constantly felt and repeatedly referenced by the women who
are drilled to say certain things, and trained to commit violent acts to
aid the revolution. "If you hear a baby crying and see a rat chewing on
its fingers, is it bad to kill the rats?" The anger and resolve of these
women is admirable: they seem to believe that ideas and vision must
unite with courage (and in this case violence) to incite true change.
But Finn subtly reveals the flaws in the system through hilarious
personal interactions between the women ("She called us lazy-asses
because we weren't cleaning the bathroom") and their focused reverence
to their Chairman. Like his debut feature Interkosmos (NYUFF Opening
Night 2006), Finn has again collaborated with musicians Jim Becker and
Colleen Burke to create a score that becomes the film's Greek chorus,
featured under the choreographed sequences of the women chanting and
marching in formation. "Jim Finn has made a name for himself...thanks to
his feeling for irony and his capacity to shape something new from
propaganda, news and other historic images. Not to forget his very dry
sense of humour" - Rotterdam International Film Festival
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
7:45 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
NEITHER CREATED NOR DESTROYED
HUSKY DIR JENNY DRUMGOOLE EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 18:00 MIN "Loosely divided
in five chapters,"HUSKY" (2006), weaves reality and fiction to create a
narrative about a woman and her raging wild woman id called Husky, who
is out for justice." – J. Drumgoole -- Towards DIR EWA EINHORN ANIMATION
VIDEO 1:00 MIN "Towards uses a deliberately "retarded" form of the
moving image, striving for an alternative account of cinema by turning
upside down the myth of its birth, Eadweard Muybridge's horses." -
Soyoung Yoon -- The Pig Bromise DIR EWA EINHORN, MISHA STROJ ANIMATION
VIDEO 1:00 MIN "In The Pig Bromise 'Christian' is born into a passionate
attachment with the voice of Law, delivered by late pope Johannes Paulus
II." - E. Einhorn -- K DIR EWA EINHORN ANIMATION VIDEO 0:00 MIN "K: the
two domains of law: the office and the guillotine." - E. Einhorn --
Beehive DIR EWA EINHORN ANIMATION VIDEO 0:00 MIN "A retrospective of an
early moment." – E. Einhorn -- I Like This Sound DIR MARK THER
EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 5:56 MIN Do you hear what is going on? -- The Results
of Energy Neither Being Created Nor Destroyed on a Sunny Day DIR JAMES
YAMADA EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 4:00 MIN Not even the clearest afternoon will
unravel a practiced sleight of hand. -- Nature Mature DIR JAMES N.
KIENITZ WILKINS EXPERIMENTAL 16MM ON VIDEO 17:00 MIN "A ghostly militia
of look-alikes gradually lose their menace." – J. N. Kietz Wilkins --
Colon Karaoke DIR BRINA THURSTON DOCUMENTARY VIDEO 6:00 MIN "Colon
Karaoke is the first 6 minutes from the documentation of an hour-long
colonoscopy. The song Sledge Hammer was the first song to play on the
radio in the operating room." - B. Thurston -- Heap DIR EWA EINHORN
ANIMATION VIDEO 0:45 MIN A mess of broken pieces is left on the kitchen
floor. You're Not Supposed to be Here DIR JAMES FOTOPOULOS EXPERIMENTAL
VIDEO 0:52 MIN Keep your distance. --
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
8:15 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
CELLULOID #1
Celluloid #1 DIR STEVE STASO FEATURE 16MM ON VIDEO 78:00 MIN NEW YORK
PREMIERE "Got nothing else to do on Tuesdays and Thursday. What do you
do on the other days? I drink." – from The Hustler One-hit auteur
Clayton Beaubien and hanging-by-a-thread-starlet Caprice Geoffries
(Julie Atlas Muz) meet for an exclusive tell-all interview that quickly
becomes a battle of the egos, all captured on Beaubien's "signature"
black-and-white film. Only he runs out of it halfway through the
interview, and changes to color, an appropriate metaphor for the
arrogance of the slacker-artist-sans-art that is exposed in this
hilarious and disturbing film. Caprice's "people" agree to the interview
under one condition—that there be no mention of her failed and abusive
marriage, which of course is mentioned along with Clayton and Caprice's
other favorite subjects: themselves, their work, their plans for the
future. "This film is a confetti of references/passions to the genius of
Warhol, Fassbinder and the era of The Hustler as well as the glory of
black and white. Celluloid #1 is ultimately about celluloid and how it
captures us, as Caprice says, 'it is us in our glamour and us in our
disease.' This film exposes our tawdry addiction to today's 'soft
celebrity' culture, which is stuck like chewed bubble gum to the souls
of our shoes. Our delusion is complete." – S. Staso
3/31
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
9:30 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
BLOOD! (SHORTS PROGRAM)
TERROR! DIR BEN RIVERS DOCUMENTARY 35MM ON VIDEO 24:00 MIN WORLD
PREMIERE "A love letter to the genre which got me into film in the first
place—these films in particular, which I saw when I was about 10-12, due
to a dodgy video shop owner in my village who seemed to enjoy pushing
these films onto our young minds. His shop, by the way, was in the
basement of the Methodist church—I don't think they had any idea what
was coming out of their cellar." – B. Rivers -- Only Just Begun DIR
JENNET THOMAS EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 8:05 MIN "We've only just begun to
live. White lace and promises, a kiss for luck and we're on our way...
Mr. Thomas is in the back garden enjoying the sunshine. He makes his
moves and the world moves back." – J. Thomas -- Blood of the Earthworm
DIR BRITTANY GRAVELY EXPERIMENTAL 16MM 32:00 MIN "An anti-climactic
barrage of both original footage and extractions from horror, science
fiction, and educational films, all of which shed a flickering light on
contemporary maladies of civilization. The natural course of evolution
has been interrupted producing machine-like people who are alienated,
destructive, dissatisfied, lifeless…" – B. Gravely
3/31
San Francisco, California: Other Cinema
http://www.othercinema.com/
8:30pm, 992 Valencia Street
BEN RUSSELLS NOISE HIPPIES AGAINST ALL WAR !
Itinerant filmmaker Ben Russell brings a frenetic mix of DIY
post-psychedelic/noise works—all in 16mm!—straight from the dirty
warehouses of Providence, RI. Filmmakers Jo Dery, Xander Marro, Mat
Brinkman, Leif Goldberg, and Ara Peterson imaginatively deploy Group
Trance Rituals, Direct Dumpster-Dive Animation, Bat-Eye History, Cut-up
Eyeballs, Puppet Chaos, Analog Transcendence, Live Soundtracks, and so
much more. Featuring music by Lightning Bolt, Mystery Brinkman, Carly
Ptak (Nautical Almanac), Wind-Up Bird, Dave Lifrieri (Manbeard), and the
Shirelles vs. the Suicidal Tendencies. The prolific Russell orchestrates
it all, climaxing with a live intervention in his The Red and the Blue
Gods. PLUS Liquid lights, live psychedelic sounds, and free peanut
butter!
---------------------
SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2007
---------------------
4/1
London, England: London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
http://www.llgff.org.uk
6.10pm, NFT 3, BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8X
MIKE HOOLBOOM: FASCINATION
Prolific fringe filmmaker Mike Hoolboom (Panic Bodies, Tom) turns his
lens to the fallen video 'art star' Colin Campbell (1942-2001) in this
deeply affecting experimental portrait. Video artist and charming gender
provocateur on the Toronto art scene, Campbell pioneered video art in
the 1970s, creating drag personas that paralleled conceptual performance
of the time. As Hoolboom notes in his voiceover, he does not merely tell
Campbell's story but accompanies it. Contextualising Campbell's art
practice within the TV generation and the Cold War, Hoolboom enters the
video milieu by mixing a dreamlike cocktail of found footage with
Campbell's hilarious, poignant videos. Interviews with friends, lovers
and art world companions such as John Greyson and Tanya Mars add an
intimate layer to this thought-provoking tribute to an important artist
rarely screened in the UK. (Kyle Stephan) Fascination (Mike Hoolboom,
Canada, 2006, 70 mins)
4/1
London, England: London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
http://www.llgff.org.uk
8.30pm, NFT 3, BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, SE1 8X
COLIN CAMPBELL FOREVER !
Three Colin Campbell video works preceded by a taped introduction by
guest curator Mike Hoolboom. Sackville I'm Yours (Colin Campbell,
Canada, 1972, 15 mins) In Campbell's first tape, he plays the first of
his many personas 'Art Star', a legend in his own mind, in the midst of
(sigh) yet another media interview. Conundrum Clinique (Colin Campbell,
Canada, 1981, 14 mins) Playing a NASA scientist, Campbell involves
militarists in a melodrama of sex and violence. He has two lovers in
Clinique, his boss (played by Ann McFarland) and the gorgeous Alex
Wilson. Disheveled Destiny (Colin Campbell, Canada, 2000, 29 mins) 'Art
Star', Campbell's very first Frankenstein, returns to Sackville on his
silver anniversary. He interweaves documentary moments with camped up
recollections that embody new winds of change.
4/1
Los Angeles, California: Filmforum
http://www.lafilmforum.org/
7:00 pm, Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. at Las Palmas
FILMFORUM PRESENTS THE MYTHOLOGY SHOW WITH FILMMAKER BEN RUSSELL IN
PERSON!
Steeped in American folklore, psychiatric techniques of the early 20th
century, chaos theory, mask rituals, and techniques of synaesthesia,
these five 16mm films by Russell propose an alternate mythos for the
world in which we reside.
4/1
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
1:30 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
NATURAL HIGH (SHORTS PROGRAM) REPEATED SCREENING
Light Work 1 by JENNIFER REEVES EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 8:00 MIN "Symbols of
20th century science, industry, medicine and madness are mixed in
rhythmic molecular forms, morphing frequencies and colorful visual
textures." – J. Reeves --Evergreen by ROBERT TODD EXPERIMENTAL 16MM
15:00 MIN "A short film reflecting on the act of landscape as
portraiture. This is the second in a series of representations of urban
nature under siege." – R. Todd -- Fading Star by JOHN STANDIFORD
ANIMATION 16MM 18:00 MIN This meditative film enchants the myths of
westward expansion into a single rail car, a dreamer passenger, a clear
sky, and a soundtrack that tracks the sounds that go with our history.
-- Qualities of Stone by ROBERT TODD EXPERIMENTAL 16MM 11:00 MIN
"Qualities of Stone presents life under glass. This is the third in a
series on urban naturalism (following Thunder & Evergreen)" - R. Todd --
July Fix by JASON LIVINGSTON EXPERIMENTAL 16MM 2:00 MIN Like a bee's-eye
view of a field of flowers on a bright clear day. Makes pollination look
fun. -- The General Returns from One Place to Another by MICHAEL
ROBINSON EXPERIMENTAL 16MM ON VIDEO 11:00 MIN "Learning to love again,
with fear at its side, the film draws balance between the romantic and
the horrid, shaping a concurrently skeptical and indulgent experience of
the beautiful. A Frank O'Hara monologue (from a play of the same title)
attempts to undercut the sincerity of the landscape, but there are
stronger forces surfacing." – M. Robinson -- Origin by HIROMI YOSHIDA
EXPERIMENTAL 16MM ON VIDEO 2:20 MIN "This film signifies fertility,
conception of nature. It was influenced by Japanese indigenous belief
Shintoism." - H. Yoshida
4/1
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
2:30 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
PATERSON - LODZ
Paterson - Lodz DIR REDMOND ENTWISTLE EXPERIMENTAL 16MM 00:00 MIN NEW
YORK PREMIERE "Impressions of the ground from Paterson, New Jersey and
Lodz in Poland cast into glass and then filmed against the sky as the
light changes through their intricately detailed surface. Fragments of
voice-overs recounting the history of the two towns at the start of the
twentieth century, in particular two events: the 1905 revolution in Lodz
and the 1913 Paterson Silk Strike. Soundscapes of the two towns that
playback so that their streets seem to cut through the auditorium. These
excavated pieces of our world are set alongside each other. They each
speak in their own way, and through the friction that builds up around
their edges; history, space and representation are invested with a
quality both concrete and plastic. Each time the film is projected a
computer selects new fragments of the histories and new sounds of the
cities to play over the image. This is a history that goes backwards and
forwards in time; that changes according to new sets of connections in
the sound; in which beginning and end are unclear. Paterson - Lodz is a
reflection on the possibilities and failure of two social movements that
opened the twentieth century, and of a present moment still searching
for a way to enter into
4/1
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
3:30 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
EAST 3
East 3 DIR MR. YOUNG DOCUMENTARY VIDEO 80:00 MIN NEW YORK PREMIERE In
Inuvik, Alaska, the harsh climate shapes the life of the town. Touching
on both the traditional way of life and the modern ideas and
advancements that are beginning to take hold there, East 3 focuses on
how a variety of individuals negotiate their lives in the frozen north.
If you view not littering and occasionally hitting up the historical
society as being in touch with your environment, prepare to be
surprised. "East 3 explores the Arctic town of Inuvik. This disturbing
and surreal film investigates life in the sub-zero temperatures of the
Canadian wilderness focusing on the hunting/trapping lifestyle, the
community greenhouse, dog cruelty, traditional games and music." - Mr.
Young
4/1
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
4:00 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
THE SKY SONG
The Sky Song DIR JAMES FOTOPOULOS FEATURE VIDEO 79:52 MIN WORLD
PREMIERE "When I started The Sky Song it had something to do with
revenge (particularly in action films), American Indian tribes, goblin
sharks and fragments of memories I had of the day the Chicago Cub lost
the playoffs in 1984." – J. Fotopoulos
4/1
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
5:15 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
HEAD RUSH (SHORTS PROGRAM)
Through These Trackless Waters DIR ELIZABETH HENRY EXPERIMENTAL 16MM ON
VIDEO 12:30 MIN "The ecology of the planet connects with the ecology of
our minds. In the waking dream, all is juxtaposed and, as Kuleshov
discovered, all is related." - E. Henry Intervals and Transformations
DIR HUCKLEBERRY LAIN ANIMATION VIDEO 3:30 MIN "Don't be fooled by the
experience in front of you. Created from the interpretations of ideas
explained by Joseph Albers in his book The Interaction of Color. Music
by Kisses." - H. Lain Slow Jamz DIR KARTHIK PANDIAN EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO
7:24 MIN "Screwed music and screwed video taken to its melancholic
VHS-lossiest end in this elegy to an era of basketball past." - K.
Pandian Notes DIR JENNY PERLIN ANIMATION 16MM ON VIDEO 3:24 MIN "Harry
Gold, codename "GOOSE," was convicted in 1951 for passing secrets of the
atom bomb from physicist and spy Klaus Fuchs to Soviet agents. The
animations in this film are copies of Gold's absentminded drawings,
scribbled over drafts of his resume and cover letter to the Atlantic
Refining Company, Personnel Department, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in
1948." - J. Perlin The Truth and the Pleasure DIR JENNET THOMAS
EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 4:30 MIN "'I'm solving equations in complex
aesthetics, Connecting the structures that you cannot see, Enabling your
kids to come top in athletics, Adjusting their hearts for the way things
will be.' "Pink Lady delivers a lecture." – J. Thomas Ultimate Reality
DIR JIMMY JOE ROCHE EXPERIMENTAL VIDEO 18:00 MIN "A mandala projected
from the third eye of suburban back yards, cracked drive ways, and dusty
VCR's. The wizards of Baltimore and Wham City deal powerful magic, we'll
need it soon, the dawn of this post-postmodern age is upon us." - J.
Roche
4/1
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
6:00 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
LUNCHFILM CURATED BY MIKE PLANTE
JAMES FOTOPOULOS, KEVIN JEROME EVERSON, JEM COHEN, BEN COONLEY, MIKE
PLANTE, CAM ARCHER, ROGER BEEBE, JAMES BENNING, JAMES CLAUER, BILL
DANIEL, SHARON LOCKHART, EILEEN MAXSON, CARSON MELL, NINA MENKES, CHRIS
PETERS, ELIZABETH SKADDEN, SEBASTIAN WOLF, ZELLNER BROTHERS Curated by
Mike Plante By accident, I started a series of lunch shorts. Me and
James Fotopoulos were eating lunch two years ago – appropriately at
NYUFF '05. Homecoming! The place only took cash. Fotopoulos didn't have
any, he's a filmmaker. So I made him a deal: I'll buy the lunch and he
trade me a short film for the same cost. We made up rules on a napkin,
as a challenge and referring to subjects we talked about over lunch.
Since then 25 lunch shorts have been "commissioned," here are the ones
finished. Only one copy of each film exists. While each film has its own
rules and ideas, the overall metaphor is a basic one: it is very easy to
help a filmmaker. Be a part of your community. Buy one lunch today. –
Mike Plante Filmmakers include: Cam Archer, Roger Beebe, James Benning,
James Clauer, Jem Cohen, Ben Coonley, Bill Daniel, Kevin Everson, James
Fotopoulos, Sharon Lockhart, Eileen Maxson, Carson Mell, Nina Menkes,
Chris Peters, Elizabeth Skadden, Sebastian Wolf and the Zellner
Brothers.
4/1
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
7:00 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
FRANK & CINDY
Frank & Cindy DIR GJ ECHTERNKAMP DOCUMENTARY VIDEO 73:00 MIN NEW YORK
PREMIERE "My stepfather Frank, by some lucky coincidence, landed himself
in a Menudo-like pop group at the age of 18... a band called OXO with
the hit song 'Whirly Girl.' Enter my mother, Cindy, a beautiful blonde
bombshell and all-around addict struggling to support her 5 year-old
child. She ran into OXO at the local diner in Pasadena and, to make a
long story short, gets married to Frank shortly thereafter. So, deluded
Cindy thinks this is her chance to live the good life from now on. Frank
is handsome, rich, famous, and naive as hell. But the band breaks up
months later and my mom ends up supporting Frank for the next 25 years,
as he struggles and fails to get back in to the music business. So, now
Frank is a chubby alcoholic who drinks 4 bottles of White Zinfandel a
day and lives in the basement. My mother is still beautiful, but
completely trapped in a codependent relationship with an overgrown Peter
Pan who's never worked a day in his life. She has big plans to find a
new man. She also quit drinking five years ago and realized she has an
adult son that wants nothing to do with her. Until, of course, I decide
to make this documentary. I try to be a catalyst and make these people
change their lives for the better... but can I? Maybe I'm just
exploiting my stepfather for cheap laughs and a little revenge for
ruining my life...." – GJ Echternkamp
4/1
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
7:45 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
PAUL AND THE BADGER + BEN (SHORTS PROGRAM)
Paul and the Badger + Ben DIR PAUL TARRAGO, BEN COONLEY EXPERIMENTAL
VIDEO MIN INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE Paul and the Badger + Ben Paul Tarragó
and Ben Coonley have a lot in common. They are friends, they are both
beloved NYUFF alumni, and they are both able to create sensitive and
playful short films and videos that delicately address life and death,
memory and childhood, oh, and a few other things that fall in between.
Paul and the Badger Episodes 1-4 of a television series for kids and
grown-ups alike that brings experimental film, puppets, and play
together with questions of morality and grown-upness that men, women,
children and badgers struggle with. Additionally, these shorts pay
tribute to the day-to-day friendship between Paul and his good friend,
Badger. + Ben "My contributions will be in four separate movements that
fall under the category of short distractions, interruptions, and
interludes, a grab box of surprisses. Some short musically oriented
videos I made, and some commercial-type projects. A "cornucopia of video
delights"...or electronic snacks. Things with music, sidekicks,
bandmates, other (non-badger) animals, reflections of the way life used
be." – B. Coonley
4/1
New York, New York: The New York Underground Film Festival
http://www.nyuff.com
8:45 PM, Anthology Film Archives, 32 Second Avenue
RANDOM LUNACY: VIDEOES FROM THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED - NYUFF CLOSING NIGHT
Random Lunacy: Videos from the Road Less Traveled DIR VICTOR ZIMET,
STEPHANIE SILBER DOCUMENTARY VIDEO 59:55 MIN NEW YORK PREMIERE "This guy
makes Jack Kerouac look like he lived at home with his mother and went
out on the road on weekends." – Alec Wilkinson, The New Yorker Closing
the 14th Annual New York Underground Film Festival is the New York
Premiere of Victor Zimet and Stephanie Silber's Random Lunacy: Videos
from the Road Less Traveled. All happy families are not alike, as proved
by Poppa Neutrino, aka David Pearlman, and his Flying Neutrinos. A
wandering soul, a particle spontaneously transforming, Poppa leads his
family on a true quest for freedom and adventure. Rather than to drift
through the obligations of an ordinary, "sequential" life, Poppa chooses
to be what most people recognize as homeless—a lifestyle he elects for
himself as well as his ever-expanding family. Unencumbered by any
possessions (save, curiously, a video-camera that seems to have been
rolling since the early 1980's) the Neutrinos roam the globe, Poppa
philosophizing all the way. An astounding wealth of footage captures
moments of the fledgling family learning ways of happiness, respect and
adulthood from their captain, alongside confessions of mortal doubts and
fears stirred by the intensity of Poppa's scarier lessons. While it may
seem that what makes Poppa's life so remarkable is the
where-the-wind-takes-him absence of any "plan," try again. This man has
a master plan that is always evolving, always growing grander if not
more grandiose—but never to outgrow the simple goal of living life
randomly and lovingly. At times he makes it look easy and other times
impossible. Why can't everyone live this way? Well… we can—but we
don't—so Poppa's story is modern myth, and as inspiring as you can
dream. "Movies like to pretend they're different, but Random Lunacy
really, truly is.… Poppa doesn't work, pay rent, listen to doctors or
kiss institutional butt. He prefers to invent his life as he goes along,
whether he's building a raft out of scraps and sailing the Atlantic,
inventing a new football play or touring the world from Mexico to Russia
with his band, The Flying Neutrinos. But don't discount the intellect
that Poppa uses to back up his wit and daring as leader of his tribe.
That's right, tribe. Family is what you call the Waltons. The collection
of wives, children, step-children and believers who make up the
Neutrinos defies categorization. And so, using Poppa's own videos to
augment their tale, Zimet and Silber throw us into a life that
intoxicates, infuriates and leaves us panting for each unique and
unforgettable adventure. Prepare to be wowed." - Peter Travers, Rolling
Stone
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__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.