program #3 - Let’s Not Be So Serious About Art
Bruce Baillie and Chick Strand founded Canyon Cinema in 1961. The original purpose of Canyon Cinema was to bring people together, to establish a connection “between the people and what was happening.” (Baillie) They organized screenings of experimental, documentary, and narrative films in East Bay backyards and community centers. Acting in response to a lack of public venues for independent movies, they were part of a wider explosion in American avant-garde film. The era was one of social idealism and communal energy, and the films they showcased boldly embraced purely cinematic visual expression and cultural critique. This program shows some films of the filmmakers that belong to that community and who were influenced by its spirit.
“One of our ‘devices,’ as P.T. and Chicky Strand would have it, for keeping the audience honest—that is, not too serious about ‘Art.’ Years of fun, work, and thoughtful exchange, covering perhaps everything under the sun! Our Chair in the Sun, we called it.” – B.B.
Introduced by Garbiñe Ortega.
This program is also shown on October 10 at 20h00.