Skip to content

Compressed Air: The Best Experimental Films of 2018

Cinema on the Verge

With curator Michael Sicinski

Nov 11, 2018, 12:30 PM Rice Cinema $12.00 Get Tickets

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

DirectorSaul Levine
Runtime2 MINS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema on the Verge, Compilation

Eye of a Needle

DirectorKathrin McInnis
Runtime4 MINS, SECS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema 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.

DirectorAndrew Busti
Runtime4 MINS, SECS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema on the Verge, Compilation

Fountains of Paris

DirectorStephen Broomer
Runtime9 MINS, SECS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema on the Verge, Compilation

jeny303

DirectorLaura Huertas Millán
Runtime7 MINS, SECS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema on the Verge, Compilation

Commute

Country, Year Canada,
DirectorVincent Grenier
Runtime6 MINS, SECS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema on the Verge, Compilation

Mahogany Too

DirectorAkosua Adoma Owusu
Runtime3 MINS, SECS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema on the Verge, Compilation

Hoarders Without Borders

DirectorJodie Mack
Runtime6 MINS, SECS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema 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.

DirectorStephanie Barber
Runtime3 MINS, SECS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema on the Verge, Compilation

Fainting Spells

DirectorSky Hopinka
Runtime11 MINS, SECS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema 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,
DirectorJames Edmonds
Runtime6 MINS, SECS
GenreExperimental, Short
SubjectExperimental
Event TypeCinema on the Verge, Compilation