The film is based on an early childhood memory of my natural mother. It is about the separation of a child from its roots – a child’s search for understanding of these roots. The roots beginning with the mother and the father. I am not sure if what I am remembering is a dream or a true memory. However, if it is memory, then it is my most greatest and most cherished memory. If it is a dream then – how great it is to dream. (EM)
Filter Films
-
“His Romantic Movement” presents images of a trip to the Florida Keys. It reenacts the drama of going on the road, Kerouac style; but what it really depicts is the dream of freedom turning sour. “His Romantic Movement” re-presents the male-band on the road living it up, taking drugs, drinking in the sights, and just travelling, significantly, to the Florida Keys. But it does not simply depict these activities, and in doing so reproduce that myth. By depicting members of the band as ugly and vicious, it deconstructs the myths of the male-band and conveys an uneasiness with that celebration of manliness that was so much part of the ethos of Beat literature.
His Romantic Movement
-
“‘Him and Me’ has Benning’s hallmarks: pristine cinematography, a quasi-autobiographical stance, and a minimalist structure that juxtaposes concrete realities with off-screen mysteries. This is one man’s journey through the American landscape as he has experienced it since the 1950s: a richly hued vision punctuated by sexual, musical and political mores of three decades.” – Karen Cooper, Film Forum 1982
Him and Me
-
This series of films, each extraordinarily unique from every other (except “0 + 10” going together) is inspired and governed by strata of the mind’s moving-visual-thinking different from that of the “Roman Numeral Series” or perhaps one should say that the Arabic Numerals come to fruition thru some tree-of nerves separate from that which gave birth to the Romans (as it is physiologically deceptive to think of thought as existing in “layers”). The Arabics range in length from approximately 5 min. to 32 min. and may be projected at 24 fps as well as 18, tho’ the latter speed seems preferable for starts. I think each film’s integrity of rhythm would allow viewing at a greater variety of speeds, were there the 16mm projectors to allow that exercise. So far as I can tell, they defy verbal interpretation (even more than their Roman equivalents) and would, thus, seem to be closer to Music than any previous work given me to do; but if that be true, it is (as composer James Tenney put it to me) that they relate to that relatively small area of musical composition which resists Song and Dance and exists more purely in terms of Sound Events in Time/Space. Finally, then, the inspiration of all those modern (and a few ancient) composers I’ve most loved since my teens overwhelms the easier, and comfortably lovely, habits of jig and do-re-mi AND creates a visual correlative OF music’s eventuality – i.e. each Arabic is formed by the intrinsic grammar of the most inner (perhaps pre-natal) structure of thought itself.
Arabic Numeral Series – Arabic 0 + 10
-
“The Highway” is about the paths in life which appear before us once we realize that we do have a choice in where our destiny lies. Glen Higgins, a young man who is trapped on his family’s decaying farm, must decide to leave after the shock caused by the death of his father.
Highway, The
-
For Jayden Martin, art is more than just a hobby. It’s his escape, his passion, and his lifeline. But as an artist in the small, rural community of Englehart, Ontario, Jayden’s dreams of making it big seem almost impossible. Despite growing up with divorced parents and struggling with addiction, mental health, and suicide, he remains determined to succeed. “Dear Friend, Where Have You Gone?” offers a rare glimpse into Jayden’s world as he navigates the challenges of small-town life and grapples with his own inner demons. This powerful documentary is an inspiring reminder of human resilience and the transformative power of art.
Dear Friend, Where Have You Gone?
-
“Hide and Seek” is a daring exploration into wild, uncharted territory – lesbian adolescence in the 1960s. The film features Lou, a 12-year-old girl who daydreams in a tree house, tries not to watch a sex education film, and is horrified to discover that her best friend is taking an interest in earrings and boys. Interwoven with Lou’s story are the most hilarious, sometimes painful recollections of adult lesbians who try to figure out how they got from there to here. Completing the picture are clips from an astonishing array of old scientific and instructional films which blend seamlessly with the beautiful black-and-white images of Lou’s world. “‘Hide and Seek’ is rueful, funny, multifaceted and sharply intelligent.” – Stuart Klawans, The Nation “‘Hide and Seek’ is A Girl’s Own Story for lesbians. Friedrich has woven a rich and provocative tapestry that assaults complacent assumptions about pubescent desire and lesbian identity, all the while raising important questions about the representation of racial and sexual fantasy life. [The film is] thoroughly engaging from beginning to end.” – Yvonne Rainer Produced with funding from ITVS, the NEA, and the New York State Council on the Arts. Awards: Outstanding Documentary Feature, OutFest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival ’97; Best Narrative Film, Athens International Film and Video Festival; Special Jury Award, The New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival; Juror’s Choice, Charlotte Film Festival; Honorable Mention, Image Film and Video Festival Exhibition: Sundance Film Festival; Berlin International Film Festival; Frameline Film Festival, Women In the Director’s Chair; Inside Out Festival, Toronto; Umea Film Festival, Sweden; Melbourne Film Festival, Australia; Seoul Queer Film and Video Festival, Korea; MIX Festival, Brazil; ; Tokyo International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, Japan; SXSW Film Festival, Texas; Dublin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Ireland
Hide and Seek
-
The filmmaker asked three friends to tell their stories of ordinary heroism to the camera. Sarah, Olga, and Martha talk about what was the hardest time in their lives, how each got through that time, and what she learned that she can share with others.
Heroes: A Transformation Film
-
Through painful and nostalgic recollections, a young refugee woman tries to come to terms with the losses of war, her shattered life, and the alienation between her and her mother. “…It is with subtlety and a touch of magic that Irena Joannides manages to delve into this woman’s inner world, unfolding in front of the viewer’s eyes her protagonist’s nostalgia, her most intimate thoughts and desires, which recount lost persons and places.” – Ricardo Lopes, Cine-Epiloge
Her Violet Garden
