Cinema VII Goes to the Movies

Williamsburg's First International Surrealist Film Festival
Williamsburg's Second International Surrealist Film Festival
Williamsburg's Third International Surrealist Film Festival

"FIDEM FATI VIRTUE SEQUEMUR" --  "With courage follow the promise of Destiny!"

Click for souvenir application form (closed)    Festival director:  Peter Dizozza   Prize Winners Below.  

for

captured still from Orin's Dream Light Series
Williamsburg's Second International Surrealist Film Festival
October 8th and 9th, 2004
at The WAH Center
including:
from Orin Buck's Light Dreams series:  "Coney Rides 2"

Marc Fajardo's "Resilience"

Amy Greenfield's "Wildfire" (Eclipse Productions) First Prize
a new film by Matthew Gray Gubler simply titled,
"The Cactus that Looked Like a Man"
Lauren Hartman's "PHANTThird Prize
Susan Ingraham's "GOescarGo"


from In Vivo

"In Vivo," Second Prize directed by Melanie Panush Lindert
(Richard Newton, Watching in the Dark Productions)
The return of "Dino Adino, by Amir Motlagh
Mary Jane Sullivan's "Signals from the Empire City,"
calling upon ancient Lenape... (Now & Then Productions)

ALSO:

title: "Lullaby for the Taken"
directed by: Ted Passon  www.allagesproductions.com
Conceived and shot in eight days around a Midwestern US tour schedule, this
is Kimya Dawson's first solo music video. The song is featured on her new
album 

"Hidden Vagenda" on K-Records. 

Look for a special cameo appearance by
the Butchies!
tedecmfg@hotmail.com

"Bassist out of the Landscape," which tells the story of Robert Black, from his childhood in Denver to his growth into a great international bassist.
This work has also been shown at Philip Glass's MATA Festival at the Helsinki Festival in Finland, the North American New Music Festival, Buffalo, NY, the Subtropics Festival, Miami, and won a silver star in the Sacramento International Film and Video Festival, as well as numerous other showings also throughout the U.S. and Europe.
Produced, directed and scored by Myrna Schloss.

& David O. Rogers' great addition the Star Trek Legacy, "Red Shirt Blues

an official offspring of 2003's

BRAVE DESTINY exhibition

curated by Terrance Lindall

Williamsburg's First International Surrealist Film Festival Page,
more films at http://www.wahcenter.net/exhibits/2003/surreal/BD_filmsubmissions.html

("The sole justification for our existence as artists, superfluous and
egotistical as we are, is to confront people with the image of their
destiny." Max Beckmann)

The New International Surrealists Manifesto by Terrance Lindall
Return to schedule.

Dear Terrance and Peter, Its Keith Wigdor.

Here is the list of the choices that I wanted to give to you as winners (in chronological order) in the 2nd SURREALIST FILM FESTIVAL from last night.

1: AMY GREENFIELD's "WILDFIRE" (Eclipse Productions)

2: MELANIE PANUSH LINDERT's "IN VIVIO"

3: LAUREN HARTMAN's "PHANT"

Amy Greenfield's film, "Wildfire" is by far the best one out of the three, that is why I feel that she should be the first place winner. The overwhelming eroticism aroused a magical trance that was identified by the graceful movements of the bodies in motion. The beauty in Amy's film RISES to a level of intoxication, thus making it direct in its reconciliation with poetry and movement. Amy's visual surrealism is the definitive crystallization of appearances in motion, the female nudes as fiery points within the range of determinateness and immediacy. The movement as essence in reflection is what convinced me of the surrealist presence dominating Amy's film.

Next, I would have to give second place winner to Melanie Panush Lindert's "In Vivio". This film set the exact mood of a dream-like atmosphere that unites the viewer with surrealism's infinite posited ness with the external reflections that the dancers were amplifying in their movements. Melanie's film was hypnotic and transitory in its composition and quality.

Now, for third place winner, I would have to go with the bizarre surrealist/experimental/dada-inspired film by Lauren Hartman, "PHANT". The first two minutes of the film did not set the proper setting for any relation to how we, the viewers, can identify and establish any foundation at all (plus it being in color for the first two minutes, which I would tell Lauren to take that part out). The rest of the film had all the elements of surrealism (and dada) to satisfy the determinations that constitute illusory being and an attack on the senses and subconscious as well. I was very critical of Lauren's film but I must state that is was the most surrealist of all, but lacking in establishing structure that can enable the first time viewer to welcome the bizarre elements that are immanent to surrealism that dominate the film. Overall, it was very unique and dark, (plus very bizarre), which I can identify with and understand, so I will give a thumbs up to Lauren and award her third place prize because she does deserve it for her successful assault on our senses.

Your friend in Surrealism and the Arts,
Keith

Two dance films won the first and second prizes in the 2004 Surrealist Film Festival.  The variable visual speeds, reversal and overlays matched the Philip Glass score of continuous movement in Amy Greenfield's "Wildfire."   Note, although its spectacle was already overwhelming in the VHS projection, her film is also available in 35mm Film.  The inspiration is the hand colored shawl dance filmed in the late nineteenth century by Thomas Edison's studio.  It launches into an awesome blur of movement filmed at Anthology Film Archives in front of a large screen projection. 

Apparently the found footage from the 1970's that Melaine Panush Lindert edited and set to music to make second prize winner, In Vivo, was hers.  She's one of the dancers, she choreographed and created the costumes, and most recently transferred, from Super 8mm black and white film, and edited a complete journey from the seashore to a Parthenon on a hill.  The return to the sea includes a walk through a populated beach.  "All streams lead to the sea."   "So ride the river and we will reach the shore."

Phant is most authentically surreal, in the style of Cocteau.  I want to edit it.  It's a story of a boy in a forest, I think. 

Judging by his use of actors, Amir Motlaugh is the new John Cassevetes.

Judging by his use of montage, Matthew Gray Gubler is the new Sergie Eisenstein.  

Peter Dizozza