In his essay “Ghosts in the Darkness”, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, describes his childhood cinematic experiences. Before the invention of VHS, people would go to theatres as if visiting temples to pay homage, they would wear their best outfits and attend with reverence. Going to the theatre and buying tickets for a movie was almost like attending a sacred ritual; the directors and stars of the movie were like gods in temples. Eventually when VHS was introduced in his town the number of people going to theatres declined. Whereas Apichatpong found other movie gods in other cities, gods like Federico Fellini, Michelangelo Antonioni and Jean-Luc Godard, the former moviegoes disappeared, leading Apichatpong to call them “ghosts“.

In collaboration with the Cinémathèque québécoise and the Double Negative Collective, VISIONS presents APPARITIONS, a live cinematic performance by Alex MacKenzie.

“Alex MacKenzie is the unequivocal master of contemporary Canadian expanded cinema: using rare and outdated technology with the deft touch of a visual alchemist, MacKenzie spins his stunning and mesmerizing anti-narratives using the detritus of cinematic history to create a completely unforgettable, and undeniably powerful, alternate vision.”
-Antimatter Film Festival

Shot in Rijeka, Croatia, with a cast of local children, this experimental documentary by Vancouver-based artist Althea Thauberger draws upon collective labour and the perspective of youth to tell the story of a defunct worker-managed factory at a time when the future of the building, and the city itself, is in question. By weaving together improvisation with material collected during a six-week occupation of the factory by performers and crew, the film re-imagines the site’s politics, history, and future while simultaneously exploring the relationship between work, art, and play. Followed by a panel and Q & A.

Please join us afterwards for a reception in the lobby to celebrate the launch of the monograph of the film, published by Musagetes.