The Cinema Project shows films on film. Properly exposed, processed and projected film has a wider dynamic range between light and dark, more gradations, greater resolution and color more closely matching the real world than does video. No compression artifacts either. Not only will this be the case for some time into the future, but some experimental artists' work from the past is only available on film.
The Cinema Project has done itinerant outdoor showings, programmed Film Center showings and maintained a long, often sold out residency at the New American Art Union (thanks Ruthann Brown!)
Now they have their own home sweet home downtown. They open it with this program. It is an opportunity to see rare film and in person discussions with filmmakers and artists.
Full details on all at the Cinema Project www.cinemaproject.org
Wednesday Opening Night
Todd Haynes on Film
Portland director Todd Haynes is famous for outstanding sensitive commercial films such as Safe, Far From Heaven and I'm Not There. He started with beautiful experimental work such as Superstar and Poison. Velvet Goldmine forms somewhat of a transition. Superstar, 1987, tells the tragic story of very successful singer Karen Carpenter who died of anorexia. In the film, BarbieTM dolls play the characters with stop action animation. Watching for only a few moments, you are drawn in, the strange nature of the 'actors' disappears far beneath the compelling story. The others I have seen include a Far From Heaven, a lushly filmed exploration of the inner life of a 50's housewife and Velvet Goldmine, a madcap search for a missing pop star's life. From humble BarbieTM beginnings, Haynes is famed as an actors' director.
This evening, Visiting Professor of Film History at Hamilton and Harvard, Scott MacDonald discusses the films with Haynes, interspersing film segments as context.
At the Portland Art Museum Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park. 8PM $8
Thursday Canyon Cinema
Canyon Cinema began as an itinerant venue for artists to show their films in 1961 San Francisco, backyards to basements. Later it evolved into a distributor and archive of experimental film. Today you can find artist films at Canyon unavailable anywhere and on film, unfortunately the rental prices are oriented to institutions, following the film model. This would be in contrast to subsequent models such as VHS/DVD sales and rental, Netflix, BitTorrent, Hulu, YouTube, MobiTV and so forth. Hey but we started out with this saying film was good!
Tonight there are 3 programs: 6PM - Canyon Men, 8PM a talk on Small Cinemas, and 9PM Canyon Women. All of the programs have been compiled by Scott Macdonald.
Friday Lost and Found Party
This evening the focus are two filmmakers, Ina Archer and Kevin Jerome Everson. I believe both work in the manner of Craig Baldwin, intercutting found footage with a sharp political intent.
The evening program focuses on Ina Archer at 6PM; a discussion on sampling the archive of black representation on film as a tactic, 7:45PM; and the films of Kevin Jerome Everson at 9PM.
At 10:30PM there is a dance party wrap.
Saturday Archives and the Films of Joseph Cornell
This is an action packed day -
12:00PM-2:00 Archiving Portland Arts Now, moderated by Matthew Stadler (free)
2:30PM The Women’s Film Preservation Fund
3:30PM Afternoon Tea & Social (free)
5:00PM The Films of Joseph Cornell - Infinite Affinities: Film and Collage
7:00PM Preserved and Unpreserved Films From Anthology Film Archives
9:30PM More Films of Joseph Cornell
Sunday Projecting The Future
More
1:30PM Artist Distribution Avenues and Choices: Why, Where, and How
3:30PM New Experimental Cinema by the Cinema Project
5:30PM Filming (In) War: Recent Lebanese Video
8:30PM Expanded Cinema Comes Alive
and
10:30PM Closing Night Party Live Music by Evolutionary Jass Band, Tara Jane O’Neil, and Sad Horse. 21+. The Cleaners corner Stark and SW 10th $10/ Free with event ticket stubs
Unless elsewise noted, events are at at the Cinema Project's new screening room 11 NW 13th Street 4th floor. Limited capacity, doors 30 minutes in advance. Each event $6 or $3 for Cinema Project members. $30 all event pass available.
The Cinema Project website details the individual films and artists at http://cinemaproject.org/screenings.html#expframes.
