When presented with the opportunity to tell the girl of his dreams that he loves her, a young man flashes through a visual expansion of that single moment, during which he relives associative memories of their relationship.
Filter Films
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“Stone Time Touch”, starring and narrated by Arsinée Khanjian, is a documentary essay which builds a layered and elusive image of Armenian identity. It is an extended meditation on the traces of Armenia as they are lived out in the homeland of imagination, in the real Armenia of today, in the Diaspora, beyond Genocide. “Award-winning Armenian-Canadian experimental filmmaker Gariné Torossian weaves together a poetic collage of memory, loss and expectation in this essay documentary of a real and imagined Armenia. Interwoven with a young woman’s journey to her homeland are the photographs and reflections of Arsinée Khanjian. As Khanjian recounts the powerful stories she was told during her visits to Armenia, she unpeels her own expectations of the ‘imaginary homeland.’ This diary-like exploration is layered with religious iconography, ritual, contemporary struggle and the burden of history. The beautifully haunting voices of the Armenian a capella folk trio Zulal underscore the emotional connection the women share to a land that is and is not theirs. An elegiac and sensory investigation into the concepts of home, identity and place.” – Hot Docs International, 2008 In Armenian and English with English subtitles. “HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those libraries collecting material about the Armenian diaspora or experimental filmmaking.” – Jessica Schomberg, Minnesota State University for EMRO Full review: http://libweb.lib.buffalo.edu/emro/emroDetail.asp?Number=3384
Stone Time Touch
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“Set in a tiny Phillipine village, ‘Turumba’ focues on one family who traditionally made papier-mache animals to sell during the Turumba religious festivities. One year, a German department store buyer shows up and purchases all their stock. When she returns with an order for 500 more (this time with the word ‘Oktoberfest’ painted on them), the family’s seasonal occupation becomes year-round alienated labor. Increased production, however, creates inflated needs. Soon, virtually the entire village has gone to work on a jungle assembly line, turning out papier-maches mascots for the Munich Olympics. “Long before the town band learns to play ‘Deutschland Uber Alles,’ the fabric of traditional life has been torn asunder. The ironies of capitalism on the margin – Coca Cola ads amid the shanties and the ancient rituals – make easy targets for Tahimik’s wit. But his sharp eye never makes him seem bitter. Here, as in ‘Perfumed Nightmare,’ Tahimik demonstrates great affection for his subjects, without stooping to romanticism.” – J. Hoberman, The Village Voice
Turumba
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A compilation of works by the late American filmmaker Diane Bonder. Shot in Super 8 and 16mm in documentary, poetic and semi-narrative styles, Bonder’s work explores issues of belonging, landscape and loss. Her work has screened internationally at festivals including Ann Arbor (Michigan), Images (Toronto), European Media Arts Festival, Pacific Film Archive (San Francisco), Museum of Modern Art (NY), Brooklyn Museum of Art, and The Whitney Museum. Please see individual titles for descriptions. 1. I Remember Now, We Never Danced, I Miss You, Good-Bye (16mm, 8 min., 2006) 2. You Are Not From Here (Super 8 on video, 10 min., 2005) 3. Closer to Heaven (Super 8 on video, 15 min., 2003) 4. If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home By Now (16mm, 15 min., 2001) 5. If (16mm, 12.5 min., 2000) 6. The Physics of Love (Super 8 on video, 25 min., 1998) 7. Dear Mom (16mm, 13 min., 1996) 8. Tongue in Chic (video, 22 min., 1996) 9. Painting By Numbers (Super 8 on video, 3 min., 1996) 10. Parole (16mm & video, 9 min., 1993) 11. Dangerous When Wet (Super 8 on video, 5 min., 1993) 12. Stick Figures (Super 8 on video, 3 min., 1993)
Diane Bonder Compilation
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Television’s influence is so great that it has left us completely mesmerized and has become our new form of worship. Our faith in the divine power has been challenged several times, through the ages. According to Hindu mythology an avatar appeared who relieved man’s distress and re-established the belief in God and the avatar. Nine incarnations of God or avatars have appeared thus far and the 10th avatar appeared with the fusion of mass media and formal worship. This is the story about the challenge divine worship faced as cable TV encroached our “idle” time.
10th Avatar
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A young woman and a six-year-old boy suddenly find themselves alone in an empty city. They begin to look for where the people have disappeared to, and discover a light factory operated by a group of children. During the projection of the film in its original presentation, four musicians performed a live instrumental soundtrack composed by Pixie Cram and arranged by John Wrinch Williams. The soundtrack was recorded and integrated into a version of the film intended for traditional screenings. The film is also available as a performance piece.
Factory of Light, The
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David Roche looks out from the screen and starts to talk about love as he rises in the freight elevator to his lofty abode. From the first few sentences, it’s clear that here’s a literate, witty script executed by an actor/writer who, in conjunction with the filmmaker, knows how to convey his autobiographical, deja-vu views. Poignant. Beautiful. Cynical. It is an insight into human relationships for those of all persuasions.
David Roche Talks to You about Love
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“James Benning’s films belie the cliches often attributed to avant-garde film. Elegantly conceived and realized, they are seductive as much for their visual audacity and originality as for the intellectual conundrums they challenge the viewer to resolve. ‘American Dreams’ is chock full of concrete, discrete elements that comprise an American iconography of the past three decades. “The film encourages a kind of perverse nostalgia for ‘the good old days’: Nixon’s ‘you don’t have Nixon to kick around any more’; Elvis’ response to questions about his gyrating style and the rumour that once he shot his mother; Patty Hearst’s ‘Tania’ statement; Senator Ribicoff’s reference to ‘Gestapo tactics in the streets of Chicago.’ All of which is punctuated by the music of the period and set against a composite image of Hank Aaron memorabilia… and the sordid diary jottings of the would-be assassin, Arthur Bremer.” – Karen Cooper, Film Forum,1983
American Dreams
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Come trip through time and space with gay gurus Michael Brewer and Thomas Alan Berg in a multi-dimensional travelogue that explores the beauty, culture and spirituality of the Island of Hawaii from a fresh new perspective. Tom and Michael travel through the enchantig Hawaiian scenery while foloowing a trail of rainbows through realms of philosophy, spirituality, history, art, psychology and politics with an entertaining and often irreverent dialogue, featuring entertaining cameos with people met along the way, and perhaps even the ancient Gods of Hawaii themselves. Fascinating, uplifting and very entertaining, Brewer and Berg take you one a journey that just might rock your world.
Rainbow Crossing – Out & About with Brewer & Berg in Hawaii
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A couple gears up for a romantic getaway at the beach…if only they could get out of their driveway.
Let’s Roll
