Film Schedule: Spring 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Hirshhorn offers Washington, D.C. audiences some of the best in contemporary filmmaking from around the world. The Museum’s presentation of new media arts, artists’ films and documentaries provide a range of uncommon fare for discerning cinephiles and casual movie-goers alike. All films are free and seating is available on a first-come basis. For accessibility services, contact Kristy Maruca at 202-633-2796 or MarucaK@si.edu; two week advance notice for special requests is advised.
Thursday, Mar. 4; 8 p.m.
FILM 1ST. a girl & a gun (2009)
For this episode of their series “Film 1ST,” Gustav Deutsch and Hanna Schimek spent four years mining over 2,500 shorts, features and reels of archival footage from the 1890s to the 1940s to compile an experimental montage based on Jean-Luc Godard’s notorious claim about what it takes to make a movie. This strange and fascinating assemblage offers insight into artistic and scientific film portrayals of sex and death in the early decades of cinema history.
Thursday, Mar. 25; 8 p.m.
Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (2008)
Director Jessica Oreck explores a centuries-old Japanese subculture: individuals who revere, collect and market some of the most preposterous, bizarre creatures on earth—insects. Using Japan’s love affair with bugs as a frame, the film uncovers perspectives that can transform our ideas about nature, beauty and daily life. The director introduces and discusses this film, which is presented in collaboration with the American Film Institute, the Japanese Information and Cultural Center and the 2010 Environmental Film Festival in Washington, D.C.
Thursday, Apr. 8; 8 p.m.
Everything you always wanted to know about the making of a video installation (2009)
Performance art wonder woman Marina Abramovic, who is currently the subject of a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, commissioned this behind-the-scenes documentation of a performance project she created in Luang Prabang, Laos. This insightful documentary captures the artist’s creative process and serves as a portrait of this living legend.
Thursday, Apr. 15; 8 p.m.
Wavelength (1967)
Michael Snow’s landmark avant-garde film has been described by the artist as “a summation of my nervous system, religious inklings, and aesthetic ideas.” Set in a New York loft space, the film subtly shifts between drama and the sheer duration of documentation, pure simplicity and utter complexity. “Wavelength” is a rarely screened must-see for any serious cinephile.
Thursday, Apr. 22; 8 p.m.
Lunch Break (2008)
Several years in the making, Sharon Lockhart’s 80-minute film has been called a masterpiece by experimental film giant Michael Snow. Set in the mile-long corridor of Bath Iron Works, a ship building firm in Maine, the film depicts previously unexamined dimensions of labor and leisure. The ponderous gaze of the camera follows forty-two blue-collar workers, documenting their off-the-clock moments with an unforgettable narrative experience that evokes performance art.
Thursday, Apr. 29; 8 p.m.
Democracy Challenge Finalists (2009)
The U.S. Department of State gathered the film and media industry to promote its second international competition of three-minute films that address the meaning of democracy. Judge for yourself which of these finalists best grapples with this complex topic.
