From: PDX Film Fest (email suppressed)
Date: Sun May 03 2009 - 15:02:54 PDT
Hello Friends!
Our favorite five days of the year are just around the corner as PDX Fest
2009 gears up for another extravaganza of awesome films and videos from
around the world. This year the festival will take place May 6th - 10th at
our new homebase - the fabulous Clinton Street
Theater<http://www.clintonsttheater.com/>!
We are head-over-heels excited about this year's awesome line up of movies,
visiting artists, video installations and top secret surprises. For all
the juicy details, check out our brand-spanking-new website -
www.pdxfilmfest.com - where the complete 2009 festival schedule is now live
and online for your eager eyes!
*
Festival highlights include:*
*OPENING NIGHT! Bruce Conner: In Memoriam*
*Co-presented by PDX Fest, NWFC and Cinema Project*
We are honored to open PDX Fest 2009 with a very special tribute screening
to California artist and filmmaker *Bruce Conner *(1933-2008). Conner was
the modern master of found footage filmmaking. During his 40-year
career—first as a pioneer of assemblage art and then as a heralded
moving-image maker—he created a unique body of work that examined American
society with wit and clarity of vision. His carefully edited montage films,
informed by his sculptural practice, draw upon sources as varied as
educational films, newsreel footage and television commercials, finding new
power and associations in discarded or forgotten images. We welcome *Michelle
Silva*, a representative of the Conner Family Estate, for this special
program of works that resonate in surprising ways with American popular
culture. *Clinton Street Theater May 6th, 7:30*
*Featured Artist: Peggy Ahwesh *
*Co-presented by Cinema Project*
PDX Fest is incredibly excited to welcome avant-garde filmmaking veteran *Peggy
Ahwesh* to Portland to present a mini-retrospective of film and video works
from throughout her 35+ year career. Aptly described as a *bricoleur*, Peggy
works in a combination of narrative and documentary styles, improvisational
performance, found footage, noise and nonsense, utilizing a variety of
obsolete, low-end and arcane technologies. Peggy will be sharing some of
her rarely screened early super 8 work as well as some of her more recent
forays into the digital realm. Her work as an actor will also be on display
at the festival in *Deliver*, *Jennifer Montgomery*’s all-woman remake of *
Deliverance* (screening May 10th, 1PM). Peggy plays the role made famous by
Burt Reynolds in the original film. While in town for the festival, Peggy
will also be teaching a workshop on techniques of improvisation for
filmmakers (NWFC School of Film, May 10th). *Clinton Street Theater May 8th,
7:30*
*
Featured Artist: Ben Coonley*
An evening of pranks, postmodern revisions and 3D fun will be in store as
festival featured guest *Ben Coonley* presents an entertaining evening of
his off the wall new media and video art pieces. Ben’s work dismantles and
rearranges texts and subtexts of contemporary media culture, often to
hilarious effect. Ben will share selections from his varied body of work
including the world premiere of a documentary begun as a teenager in 1990 as
well as a new “avant-PowerPoint” performance! Ben will also be teaching a
Do It Yourself 3D moviemaking workshop over the weekend (NWFC School of
Film, May 9th). *Clinton Street Theater May 7th, 7:00*
*RiP! A Remix Manifesto*
We are very excited to present *Brett Gaylor*’s very timely feature
documentary exploring the concept of copyright in the era of Napster, Bit
Torrent and peer-to-peer file sharing. Using mash up artist *Girl Talk* as
the film’s protagonist, Gaylor takes us on an enthralling journey into the
complex world of copyright protection in the midst of a rising generation of
steady downloaders. Serving as a rallying cry for the pioneers of a new
fair use culture of samplers, remixers, and reinventors, *RiP! *is an
entertaining, upbeat and downright inspiring vision of an open source
future. *Clinton Street Theater May 7th, 9:00*
*
The Experimental Filmmaker Karaoke Throwdown! Take II!* *at Holocene*
*Co-presented by Disjecta*
The Experimental Filmmaker Karaoke Throwdown is back for the sequel to last
year’s premiere event. After the raging success of last year’s Throwdown –
which featured a stand out performance of Xanadu by *Tara Jane O’Neil* as
well as a full audience sing along to Total Eclipse of the Heart – we are
taking the party to Holocene this year. We’re back with a brand new katalog
of karaoke klassics featuring homemade karaoke videos from our favorite
filmmakers including *Shana Moulton*, *Ben Russell*, *Jeanne Liotta*,
and *Bryan
Boyce*. Plus, we will also have *Rush-N-Disco*, *Hooliganship *and *DJ
BJ*in the house to keep the party rockin’ till the breaka dawn. Ahhhh
Yeahhhhh!
*Holocene May 8th, doors open at 9PM, 21+ *
*
The 2009 Peripheral Produce Invitational *
The Peripheral Produce Invitational (dubbed the ‘World Championship of
Experimental Cinema’) will once again pit filmmakers from Portland and
beyond against each other in a rock-em-sock-em, trash talkin’ competitive
film showdown. Last year’s reigning champ *Orland Nutt* is back to defend
his title but a gang of bloodthirsty challengers are ready to give him a run
for his money. Who will walk away with the trophy this year? With all the
filmmakers in attendance and the audience deciding who wins, you never know
what will happen in this battle-royale of experimental film. Come join us
and let your vote count in selecting this year’s winner! *Clinton Street
Theater May 9th, 8:30*
*CLOSING NIGHT! O’er The Land *
PDX Fest closes with a loud BANG as we present the Portland premiere
of *Deborah
Stratman*’s new 16mm feature, *O’er The Land*. This gorgeous experimental
documentary has been wowing audiences from Sundance to Rotterdam this year.
Simultaneously a critique of violence, a rumination upon our national
psyche, and a ritualized celebration of colossal forces beyond our control,
Deborah Stratman’s new film explores the ways Americans have come to
understand freedom and the increasingly technological reiterations of
manifest destiny. Combining high school Friday night football games,
Revolutionary War re-enactments, automatic weapon conventions, and a gut
wrenching story of survival by a fighter jet pilot, Stratman has crafted a
stunning and powerful portrait of our cultural psyche.* Clinton Street
Theater May 10th, 8:00*
*BUM EQUIPMENT: The PDX Fest Video Installation Exhibit at
galleryHomeland<http://www.galleryhomeland.org>
*
For this year's PDX Fest, *Peter Burr *conjured a *Cartune
Xprez*installation showcase featuring work by over 20 artists from
around the
world. Featuring over 50 monitors, this program takes place in three
distinct parts equalling one heavy dose of the video-world unraveled.
Single channel video loops, interactive homemade video games, and sculptural
installation pieces all comprise this stunning exhibition of modern
psychedelia. Opening night party will feature live musical performances and
other surprises!
OPENING NIGHT PARTY: May 6th 7PM – 12AM with live performances starting at
9PM
REGULAR VIEWING HOURS: May 7th – 24th from 12PM – 6PM, Thursday through
Monday
*
PLUS* new films and videos from a ton of amazing filmmakers (many of whom
will be in attendance!) including *Lee Anne Schmitt, Michael Gitlin, Rebecca
Baron, Adele Horne, Roger Beebe, Sam Green, *and* Jennifer Montgomery*! *PLUS
PLUS* workshops, parties, surprise performances AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!
For the complete PDX Fest 2009 Schedule, ticketing info and last minute
updates head to: www.pdxfilmfest.com
See you at the fest!!
xoxo
Team PDX
-----------------------------------------------
This year's festival is funded in part by a generous grant from The
Regional Arts and Culture Council and Work For Art. For a full listing of
our awesome sponsors, please see the website and our program!
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.