Spend enough time away from the cineplex—as I have during this
recession—and it becomes difficult to think of film exclusively
in terms of three acts, two leads, and a single dissolving kiss. That’s
what the PDX Film Fest is here for—to help us sort out the
possibilities contained within (and outside) the sprockets.
This year, there are two accidental themes popping up in the
festival’s lineup of international experimental and documentary films.
The first is the many alternate formats through which we can watch
cinema—installation art, videogames, even PowerPoint. This will
be strongly represented on opening night at galleryHOMELAND, where
Cartune Xprez is curating a showcase of over 20 artists, including
local collective Mumblehop, who have built a DIY arcade game for
attendees to play.
The second unintended theme is featured in RiP: A Remix Manifesto, a
documentary by Brett Gaylor that profiles mash-up artist Gregg Gillis
(AKA Girl Talk) while examining the history of sampling.
“Though RiP focuses on music,” festival organizer Gretchen Hogue
says, “its vision of a future free from copyright has immediate
correlations to what experimental filmmaking has been doing for
years.”
The tradition Hogue refers to began with Bruce Conner, the filmmaker
often cited as the first mash-up artist for the ingenious way he began
re-appropriating industrial films in the late-1950s. A retrospective of
the recently passed Conner’s works will screen on opening night.
“Conner is one of the most influential artists in the entire canon of
experimental film,” Hogue says. “He created work that is intelligent
yet playful, a bit punk rock, and one of a kind.”
Then, of course, there’s the Peripheral Produce Invitational, which
has been a staple of the festival since 2002, its inaugural year. Here,
filmmakers try to out-clever each other with the most striking stunt
filmmaking they can muster. Past winners have made movies with
View-Masters and close-ups of facial contortions.
This year’s invitational should be just as unique—and just as
surprising. When I ask Hogue how the competing filmmakers for this
year’s invitation were chosen, she answers, “The selection process is
top secret and very complex. I’d have to kill you if I told you.”
For more info, see Film Shorts, Movie Times, and
pdxfilmfest.com. n