Chicago Filmmakers and South Side Projections present a screening of 16mm experimental films about cats, including one unedited film shot by JoAnn Elam in the early 1970s.
More on the screening courtesy of Chicago Filmmakers:
Heralded as the most enjoyed and commonly practiced procrastination activity in America and scientifically proven to reduce stress, cat videos are an irresistible Internet sensation. But this phenomenon predates even the most primitive of our electronic communications. Featuring a canon of filmmakers including Stan Brakhage (Cat of the Worm’s Green Realm, 1998), Yvonne Anderson (Meow, Meow, 1970), Joyce Wieland (Rat Life and Diet in North America, 1969), and Tom Chomont (The Cat Lady,1969), this series will indulge and applaud a long-standing obsession with our feline friends. “Stan Brakhage’s cats existed long before YouTube, and they’ll exist long after YouTube is gone.” – Mike W. Phillips Jr
Full Lineup:
MEOW, MEOW // Dir. Yvonne Anderson, 1970, 6.5 min
Animation. A lonely man finds a hungry alley cat and takes him home. The cat grows up fast. The man and the cat meet Green Face, the gangster.
MAX // Dir. Stan Brakhage, 2002, 4 min
A single roll, edited in camera, reveals a small portrait of our ever-present cat.
PASHT // Dir. Stan Brakhage, 1965, 5 min
In honor of the cat, so named, and the goddess of all cats which she was named after.
CAT OF THE WORM’S GREEN REALM // Dir. Stan Brakhage, 1998, 5 min
The movements, moonlit, of a cat. Vegetation and toned flares (a kind of “ghost light” midst microscopic photography of leaves and twigs).
ZIP-TONE-CAT-TUNE // Dir. Bill Brand, 1972, 8 min
A simple home movie of a cat is reprocessed through a ‘Zip-a-tone’ dot pattern making a complex of layers.
HOW TO DRAW A CAT // Dir. Pola Chappele, 1973, 3 min
“This is the first cat film I’ve seen twice.” — P. Adams Sitney
THE CAT LADY // Dir. Tom Chomont, 1969, 2.5 min
Backwards storms, ominous voiceovers, reverse explosions all hurtle towards the quietly petting Cat Lady.
CATS AMORE // Dir. Marhta Colburn, 2001, 2.5 min
A film revealing our animal instincts.
CATS // Dir. JoAnn Elam, c.1971, 10 min
Cats playing with film!
A NUMBERS RACKET // Dir. Stephen Beghardt, 1969, 5.5 min
My daughter, Elizabeth, counts from zero to one hundred-ninety-nine, while maintaining control of her reluctant cat.
REINCATNATED // Dir. Pat Jaffe & Rita Nachtmann, 1984, 4 min
Comic film about a cat with very human qualities.
ONLY THE CAT SAW IT // Dir. Celia Kendrick, 1990, 1.5 min
Flip-book film about a cat who accompanies his owners on a canoe trip down a river.
FURIES // Dir. Sara Petty, 1975, 3 min
Cubist inspired charcoal and pastel animation of two cats in motion.
RAG THE CAT // Dir. David Tucker, 1987, 3.5 min
Eastern European style animation of a cat and mouse chase.
RAT LIFE AND DIET IN NORTH AMERICA // Dir. Joyce Weiland, 1968, 16 min
A band of revolutionary gerbils escape their cat jailors and journey up the Hudson, where they hide out at a millionare’s estate and perfect their tactics as guerilla fighters.
This program is co-presented with South Side Projections and will continue on Saturday, July 27th at Cafe 53 – 1369 E 53rd St. at 7pm. All films will be projected in their original 16mm format.