I am at the half way point of my Festival viewing. Six screenings down and after this there will be six more to go. I did not use my tickets to the screenings of Messers Eisenberg and Everson on Saturday as some family commitments required me to be elsewhere. I also bought a ticket to The Red and the Black screening which means I will pass on seeing Mr. Benning’s work again.
I have included links to the artists sites or galleries where I could find them. I’ll go back over time and add links to the prior posts.
Again these are my viewing observations.
Baptismal Sticks and Stones, April Simmons, U.S., 2011, 6m 50s
A spooky little dreamlike film of child voiced whispers in a mix of innocence and a touch of menace.
Devil’s Gate, Laura Kraning, U.S., 2011, 20m
Weaving the tales of Jack Parsons, Devil’s Gate Dam and California wildfires – this was really well done. An imaginative approach to the storytelling with the three narratives balancing and complimenting each other over 20 minutes.
Twice Removed, Leslie Thornton, U.S., 2011, 9m
Ms. Thorton’s work appealed to me more in the amphitheater where another similar work was showing. It seemed more observational and made me want to look. The spectacle version in the Walter Reade seemed forced particularly with the soundtrack.
Ricky, Janie Geiser, U.S., 2011, 11m
I wanted to go out and make something after seeing this! Ms, Geiser’s work is magical and inspiring. I was glad to be able to find clips that she has posted to YouTube of her other films so I could linger over her work in an extended way.
Silent Springs, Erin Espelie, U.S., 2011, 12m 57s
In this film, Ms. Espelie seemed to be on an assignment – tugging us in the three directions of her professional practice: documentary, advocacy and experimental. I came away feeling that the scales tipped to documentary and advocacy in this one.
Gazette, Eléonore de Montesquiou, Russia/Estonia, 2009, 4m 12s
A charming and reductive view of consumer publishing in the old Soviet Union. Ms. de Montesquiou is an artist who I will seek out. I think the material and subject matter she is working with is as interesting as her approach.
Kudzu Vine, Josh Gibson, U.S., 2011, 19.52m
Apologies to Mr. Gibson, I left before seeing his film.
