Compressed Air: The Best Experimental Films of 2018
Cinema on the Verge
With curator Michael Sicinski
From myth to Motown; Berlin to Paris, and beyond; the experimental films in this program explore a gamut of cinematic styles and visual substance. Creativity and imagination abound in this spectacular selection of shorts from around the globe. Thoughtfully chosen by film critic and University of Houston lecturer Michael Sicinski, this surprising compilation of contemporary short films features several USA, North American and World premieres.
Special Guests
Michael Sicinski
Michael Sicinski is a writer, critic, and teacher based in Houston.
Entry Note
| Director | Saul Levine |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 2 MINS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |
Eye of a Needle
| Director | Kathrin McInnis |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 4 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |
Binary Stars
A set of formal instructions detailing the proper operation of a light switch while a landscape shrinks at an alarming rate of 2:1.
| Director | Andrew Busti |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 4 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |
Fountains of Paris
| Director | Stephen Broomer |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 9 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |
jeny303
| Director | Laura Huertas Millán |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 7 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |
Commute
| Country, Year | Canada, |
|---|---|
| Director | Vincent Grenier |
| Runtime | 6 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |
Mahogany Too
| Director | Akosua Adoma Owusu |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 3 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |
Hoarders Without Borders
| Director | Jodie Mack |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 6 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |
3 peonies
A brief, poetic 16mm film on a simple sculptural action. An experimental film in which the simplicity of the image is offset by the sonic implications.
What becomes apparent is the humor possible in material interactions and the tender and sometimes melodramatic symbolism of cut flowers. What begins as a reverence for natural beauty ends up pointing towards the abstract expressionism and color field work of high modernism which, in many cases eschewed the banality of such ‘natural’ beauty. The collaged soundtrack suggests weightier concerns, gently insistent behind the flatness of the utilitarian sounds of ripping tape.
| Director | Stephanie Barber |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 3 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |
Fainting Spells
| Director | Sky Hopinka |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 11 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |
A Return
To return again. To re-align is the object of these visits, perhaps. Geography of origin becoming catalyst for an inner re-alignment with the secret, private, unspoken work of one’s being.
Peering into layers, sliding planes of windows and time, the fragmentary gesture of the dance. A series of rapid contrasts, a synthesis of elemental and everyday experience. Structures shift and intermingle, two worlds become one.
| Country, Year | United Kingdom, |
|---|---|
| Director | James Edmonds |
| Runtime | 6 MINS, SECS |
| Genre | Experimental, Short |
| Subject | Experimental |
| Event Type | Cinema on the Verge, Compilation |