Photo by Sophie BeeIn the display window of a used record store, you can see covers for albums that don’t exist. They bear titles like Flaming Creatures or Heaven and Earth Magic, familiar to aficionados of experimental film, alongside lurid designs by local artist Tom Carey. This exhibit can mean only one thing: the film festival has come to Ann Arbor. Just down the block is the Michigan Theater, which has been operating since 1928. For one week every spring, its spacious main auditorium and cozy screening room host an intimidating array of avant-garde programming. The selections are eclectic in subject matter, submitted from all over the world, and interspersed with recently restored prints of older works. This practice means that no presentation is predictable. The only constant that carries across the festival is the artists’ collective push against the traditional boundaries of their medium.An example of this ethos...
- 4/8/2016
- by Alice Stoehr
- MUBI
It’s the 50th anniversary of the Ann Arbor Film Festival and they’re preparing an all-out blowout on March 27 to April 1 to celebrate! The fest is crammed to the gills with the latest and greatest in experimental and avant-garde film, in addition to a celebration of classic work from Ann Arbors past.
Filmmaker Bruce Baillie was there at the first Aaff — and numerous times since. He’s back this year with a major retrospective of his entire career that spans three separate programs. Baillie, who’ll be in attendance of course, will present a brand-new restored version of his epic pseudo-Western Quick Billy, plus screenings of his classic short movies such as Castro Street, Yellow Horse, Quixote, To Parsifal and more.
There’s also a program dedicated to the films of the late Robert Nelson, including Bleu Shut and Special Warning, as well as sprinklings of underground classics throughout...
Filmmaker Bruce Baillie was there at the first Aaff — and numerous times since. He’s back this year with a major retrospective of his entire career that spans three separate programs. Baillie, who’ll be in attendance of course, will present a brand-new restored version of his epic pseudo-Western Quick Billy, plus screenings of his classic short movies such as Castro Street, Yellow Horse, Quixote, To Parsifal and more.
There’s also a program dedicated to the films of the late Robert Nelson, including Bleu Shut and Special Warning, as well as sprinklings of underground classics throughout...
- 3/7/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The Chicago Underground Film Festival is always a special occasion, but the 17th edition of this venerable institution, which runs on June 24 – July 1, is a little bit extra special. This year, Cuff will be honoring the lifelong underground film champion Jonas Mekas with their Lifetime Achievement Award!
Mekas will be in attendance at the festival at will appear at several screenings in his honor. On the 25th, there will be a screening of the new documentary Visionaries: Jonas Mekas and the (Mostly) American Avant-Garde, at which director Chuck Workman, Mekas and underground film historian Fred Camper will participate in a Q&A. Then, on the 26th, several of Mekas’ own films will screen and he’ll be presented with his award.
As for the rest of the fest, Cuff usually has some sort of unifying theme, at least as far as the features go. It’s not typically a stated theme,...
Mekas will be in attendance at the festival at will appear at several screenings in his honor. On the 25th, there will be a screening of the new documentary Visionaries: Jonas Mekas and the (Mostly) American Avant-Garde, at which director Chuck Workman, Mekas and underground film historian Fred Camper will participate in a Q&A. Then, on the 26th, several of Mekas’ own films will screen and he’ll be presented with his award.
As for the rest of the fest, Cuff usually has some sort of unifying theme, at least as far as the features go. It’s not typically a stated theme,...
- 6/3/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
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