The two night final showcase of the yearlong experimental film series The American Experiment kicks off with a night of shorts curated around the idea and process of image making. 

COUNTRY BALL 1989-2012 (Jacolby Satterwhite, 2012, 12:38)

CHRONICLE OF A LYING SPIRIT (BY KELLY GABRON) (Cauleen Smith, 1992, 6 min.)

PICTURES FROM DOROTHY (Kevin Jerome Everson, 2003, 5:30 min.)

Strategies for the development of/ redefining the purpose served/ Art in the age of... A.K.A. the Making of the Towering Inferno  (Lawrence Andrews, 1989, 23 min.)

Experimental film movements in the United States have always been about the search for voice and true expression. The filmmakers at the forefront ask what constitutes “Americanness”? Who gets represented within power structures? Many contemporary experimental films have emerged out of a documentary paradigm, retaining elements of nonfiction storytelling while incorporating ever-expanding methods to document and reimagine the outside world and the self. 

The American Experiment Final Showcase (Feb 27–29, 2020) reflects on and synthesizes themes we’ve explored over the past year of experimental programming. The filmmakers featured in the Final Showcase challenge and expand genre, ethnography-making, imagined futures, and internet-era moving images. This shorts program, with work by Cauleen Smith, Jacolby Satterwhite, Kevin Jerome Everson, and Lawrence Andrews, showcases the multitudes of and natural overlaps between cultural production, alternative art spaces, and black experiences. Programmed by Emily Apter and Annie Horner.

Q&A: TBA