© Estate of Warren Sonbert (detail)

ACP PROGRAMS - Film Series
The ACP Film Series explores the close connection between photography and film. We are pleased to have been collaborating with Andy Ditzler of Frequent Small Meals as our guest curator, since 2004.

"21st & 20th" © Ruth Dusseault

STILL MOTION
GOAT FARM ARTS CENTER
10/21/2011 From mobile-phones to HD-SLRs, lenses are capturing moving images at an unprecented rate. Cameras dedicated to taking still images are now doubling as hybrid machines capable of high-resolution video. Following an open call for submissions, Andy Ditzler of Frequent Small Meals, Blake Williams of Proper Medium, and ACP have selected a unique, inspiring, provocative evening screening of videos shot with still cameras.

These videos uncover the "edge of motion", where the traditional shutter-click is now capable of creating something far beyond a single frame. In addition to the open call, the curators will be selecting some of the finest examples of the genre from around-the-globe. Traditionally viewed within the confines of a computer screen, the evening will present a unique chance to view these videos in a film-fest format, with a live audience at The Goat Farm Arts Center.

A cash award for "best in show" from the open call will be awarded by Guest Jurors Tom Brown, Vice President of Original Productions for Turner Classic Movies, and Michael Kochman, Creative Director, Turner Image Management.

© Estate of Warren Sonbert

WARREN SONBERT
EYEDRUM
10/26/2010 & 10/28/2010
Atlanta Celebrates Photography and Film Love present three nights of films by this crucial figure of the American avant-garde.

A "friendly witness," Warren Sonbert (1947-1995) holds a unique place in American independent film. On one hand he shows the distinct influence of Hitchcock and the Hollywood melodramas of Douglas Sirk, and on the other he was a rigorous avant-gardist. Sonbert's films have been the subject of retrospectives at the Guggenheim Museum and other institutions, but remain available only in 16mm prints and are too rarely screened.

Juxtaposing early and late works, tonight's program (one of three) explores the maturation of Sonbert's style as well as his masterful use of music. His early trilogy of short films, set to exuberant rock and roll and documenting the seedy glamour of the 60s New York art world, established Sonbert's notoriety while he was still a teenage film student at NYU. Twenty years later, Sonbert returned to the music soundtrack in his masterpiece Friendly Witness - an intricate and deeply moving mosaic of people and places around the globe.

Presented by ACP, Film Love and Eyedrum. Curated and hosted by Andy Ditzler for Frequent Small Meals. Film Love was voted Best Film Series in Atlanta by the critics of Creative Loafing in 2006

© Chantal Akerman

JEANNE DIELMAN
EMORY UNIVERSITY
10/23/2009
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (directed by Chantal Akerman, 1975), 35mm, 201 minutes. Curated by Andy Ditzler.

Jeanne Dielman has long been recognized as a landmark work. Yet three decades after its release it has only now become available on DVD in America, and screenings in its original film format have been rare. As part of ACP 11, the Film Love series is proud to present a new 35mm print of this classic film that continues to surprise and haunt audiences today.

Brussels, 1975: a twenty-five-year-old director, a legendary actress, and a mostly female film crew produce a movie in five weeks at a miniscule cost. Its title consists only of the protagonist's name and street address. Almost every scene breaks cardinal rules of commercial cinema. Yet the enigmatic film has a powerful effect on audiences, and the rarity of its screenings only add to its mystique. Three decades later, Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is considered by many to be a masterpiece of world cinema and is voted one of the top twenty films of the twentieth century by the Village Voice.

Rarely has there been a movie harder to describe than Jeanne Dielman, for the film's emotional power and psychological depth are ingeniously achieved through minimal onscreen action. For almost the entirety of this three-hour movie, a middle-aged housewife goes about her daily routine: shopping, cooking, cleaning, and once each afternoon meeting her daily client for sex. All of these activities take place in real time - in one notorious scene, the camera stays with Jeanne for many minutes as she peels potatoes for her son's dinner.

Over the course of three days, as the details of Jeanne's routines accumulate, the film draws us into an intense examination of her inner life - helped along by the brilliant cinematography of Babette Mangolte, the subtle clues in director Chantal Akerman's script, and a mesmerizing lead performance by Delphine Seyrig. But gradually, we see Jeanne's compulsively regular routine begin to break down, leading to a shocking conclusion.

Jeanne Dielman is a Film Love event. The Film Love series provides access to rare but important films, and seeks to increase awareness of the rich history of experimental and avant-garde film. The series is curated and hosted by Andy Ditzler for Frequent Small Meals.

Presented with Frequent Small Meals and the Departments of Film Studies and Women's Studies at Emory University.

© ACP

FILM AND SPIRIT, PARTS I-III
EYEDRUM AND GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY
SEPT/OCT 2008
[PART III Curator's Notes]
[PART II Curator's Notes]
[PART I Curator's Notes]