This screening gathers together six decades of artists’ films that collectively refract the diverse nature of Montreal’s unique urban environment. From distinctive architectural markers like Habitat ‘67, Parc du Mont-Royal and Place Ville Marie to anonymous snowscapes, moon plays, and back alley explorations, these works compose a fluid, unfixed cinematic city that is at once dystopic and utopic, eerily empty and actively engaged, brutish and brimming with life.

Films by: Julian Biggs, Alexandre Larose, Arthur Lipsett, Daïchi Saïto, Michael Snow, Malena Szlam, and more.

Curated by Leo Goldsmith & Brett Kashmere for SCMS 2015

Site-specific experimental film performance by Mary Stark exploring voice, optical sound and industrial noise

Featuring experimental film works made during a September 2014 residency at LIFT, the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto. The artist residency was funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Canada Council for the Arts and MIRIAD.

Microscope Gallery is extremely pleased to present a comprehensive selection of landmark films by avant-garde artist Barry Gerson, coinciding with a solo show at Thomas Erben Gallery.

Curated by Mónica Savirón: “This silent program is an open window to the unique approach to filmmaking that Barry Gerson has explored and continues to master. It includes two digital films that have never been shown before, and five 16mm prints that were last projected more than ten years ago. For Gerson, the world is just an appearance; instead, dreams disclose reality, a hidden world that is gradually and magically revealed through movement, visual obstacles, and filtered light. Reminiscent of Japanese filmmaker Yasujirô Ozu’s poetic methods, Gerson restricts vision to allow in depth visibility, and to transcend limitations. There is an innocence and pureness in his work that triggers active discovery in the unexpected.