Cinematic Era: 1981 Vintage

Also known as Atomic Dragons, this film animation confronts the environmental issue of atomic waste. Faced with the long life of atomic waste, where the devil shall we store it?

A colorful portrait of life in Putnam County, New York, with its "old-time fiddlers, farmers, commuters, and hippies," where an earlier, more traditional, relaxed style of life continues. This now-classic documentary will generate discussion in a range of classes in American studies, cultural anthropology, sociology, and popular culture. It was produced by renowned filmmaker and musician John Cohen.

The more peace is celebrated in the official propaganda, the more likely another armed conflict is. The "Peace will win" slogan, popularized after World War II, in fact masked the increasing risk of the Cold War.

Three inept crooks, endeavoring to become big-name Western outlaws, advertise for a gang leader. The newspaper squib only attracts the interest of a young boy who nevertheless manages to make them famous.

Short film by Marshall Weber

This evocative documentary examines the plight of the ranchers of Nevada and California, who find their grazing areas increasingly threatened by many groups (even environmentalists) competing for use of the same public lands on which these ranchers depend. With its graceful images and emphasis on community and continuity, A Cowhand's Song makes a strong case for the preservation of a traditional way of life.

Marian Wallace solves a Rubik's Cube.

A silent experimental film that mixes images of eroticism and daily life.

Some of the films are presented in tandem in darkened interiors that resemble the caves where Mendieta sculpted some of her final works. One film depicts the artist lying naked in a creek, suggesting cleansing and rebirth. In another film, "Keane College Volcano" at Galerie Lelong, the wind is gently stirring a mound of ash that swirls up from a stone form's breast. The bluish powder twirls up and teasingly dissipates. This breathless little dance,this choreographed chance of the elements is the best. Ana Mendieta may have written her name on the earth in disappearing ink, but she did it so well that we can't erase it.

A profile of Francisco Marto, an actor and dancer from Paraíba, and his relationship with the artistic world. Colleagues from work and his aunt, with whom he lives, testify about his art, talking about provincial prejudices, the dream of stardom and the possible migration to a big city.

This compilation is a short version of Love Tapes: Series 18.

In TeleTapes, d'Agostino continues his critique and analysis of television's influence on everyday life and culture by exploring the content and time structure of broadcast TV. Composed of three parts — TeleTricks - TV Environments; TeleGames - And Now, The News; and TelePuzzles - TV Movies — this collage uses tricks, games, puzzles and a veritable dictionary of TV effects as analogies and metaphors for the visual and aural language of the television viewing experience. Alternating news and commercial footage with his own staged events, d'Agostino examines the viewer's perception of reality versus TV reality, the pervasive cultural influence of TV advertising, and the way that television manipulates and mythifies events.

In 1980, Wolfgang E. Struck, artistic director of the Berlin Friedrichstadt-Palast, wistfully considers the imminent demolition of his house due to structural deficiencies. Employees rhapsodise about working at this historical stage, where international stars like Louis Armstrong and Juliette Gréco performed. Nearby, construction of the new Friedrichstadt-Palast is starting.

The phone rings, breaking the silence of the arena of desire where no one picks up. While dreaming, a man battles his lust until he masturbates. His ego divides into two and his desire is finally given free flow.

Hand painted 16mm experimental short film.

16mm experimental short film.

A kind of first person cinema where the filmmaker is the cameraman as well as the actor. Acting like a total stranger in the city who does not speak or hear the language, he walks with a camera to such sight-seeing spots as Times Square,and the top of the Empire State building, etc., only listening to himself speaking the words: "I hear myself at the same time that I speak" in two languages: Japanese and English. The words are a quotation from the book by Jacques Derrida, French philosopher, which he calls "phenomenological essence."

One frame experimental film by Dean Snider.

Hepe Goes to War: Directed by J. Erastheo Navoa. With Niño Muhlach, Rey Malonzo, Eddie Garcia, Paquito Diaz.

A thin outline of a slowly moving figure enters the frame, moving forward in a highly exaggerated and expressive manner. Disjointed and atonal electronic music fades in as a heavily distorted repeat of the figure replays.

A story of young lawyer from farmer's family fights for class struggle. From rich and high society to poor and low caste, he fights in the circle for new changes in Thai society.

Surrounded by the police, the bandit is holding a little girl hostage.

(Rawabi Al-baha 1981) is the first documentary that spoke about cultural ‏heritage and traditions of Al-Baha southern of Saudi Arabia. it is produced by Mohammed Almadaifi Al-Zahrani, he also came up with the idea of the documentary to preserve Saudi’s legacy , not to mention Hussain Najar’s great voice and remarks in the background. Additionally, it was the saudi Arabia's submission for one of the foriegn film festival.

Walden combines delicate and brilliant images filmed on location around Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts with readings by poet, John D. Ogden, bringing to life the heart and soul of Thoreau's writings. Stunningly filmed by Rick Cardin at the height of New England's fall foliage season, Walden is one of the first films to capture the magical sense of place that inspired Thoreau. Through the selection of quotes, images and a soulful score by legendary musicians this film gem suggests the major themes of Thoreau's work: the reflection of the universal in the tiniest leaf or pebble, the connectedness of all things, the quest for eternal truths and the search for a way of living in harmony in the world.

“[...] a film on raw duration, which refers to the first works of the artist, close to performance. This is very simply the real time of a metro journey, between Bir-Hakeim and Passy stations. The filmmaker's objective being, among other things, to restore the equivalent of what an ordinary journey is perceived as it generally is: the fixed and somewhat empty gaze." Laurent Danet

San Frediano, protector of petty thieves, descends to earth to convince boys to do a good deed.

As the first pupil from his Harlem high school to attend Harvard University, a teenager faces both external and internal challenges during his freshman year.

At the start of the 1980's, executives and business managers are being sent to sensitivity courses, to become more creative in their leadership.

About Māris Grīva, the coach of Dainis Kūla, the Olympic champion in javelin throwing, who trains young javelin throwers in Ventspils.

Made by Oomera (Coral) Edwards on Super 8mm film as a training exercise at the (then) Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies in Canberra. The film surveys the New South Wales policy of taking Aboriginal children from their families and putting them in institutions run by the Aborigines Welfare Board. From 1883 to 1969, this policy deprived generations of children of their Aboriginal identity. Oomera was one of these children, and she discusses her own struggle to regain her Aboriginality.

In this work performed in 1976 (edited to a video work in 1981), Imai flashes a strobe light directly at the audience seated inside the auditorium in the KBS Laseirum Center in Kyoto and photographs their reaction with his camera. The audience who had expected to see a moving image projected on the surface of a dome-shaped screen on the ceiling is submerged in the dark for the first few minutes. They are left to listen to the recorded sound of a heartbeat and the metronome set to the rhythm of 6/8 time. The sudden eruption of the strobe light as Imai presses the shutter of his camera synchronized to the ringing sound of the metronome brings out diverse reaction from the audience: some cover their eyes with their hands or the pamphlet, while others directly look at the camera and strike some funny poses.

A private eye is first seen tied to a tree as her narration and flashbacks explain how she took on the most challenging case of her career involving a plot to unleash literal hell on earth. --Mondo Digital Blu-ray Review

A walk in Paris in 1981 with one of the first thermographic cameras detecting different levels of heat. A whole different perception of the urban environment. In color and b&w.

A documentary on daily life on a small depopulated island using a combination of diary narration and English subtitles. The film uses an ebb-and-flow structure to capture the recurring events and images of life on an island that once had over 600 people, but now only little over 40 due to the move to the cities 'for the sake of the children's education.' -Ronin Films

Anna is a portrait of Anna Rheinsberg, and an attempt by Christanell to see herself in her friend: What do women of a certain age have in common, whatconstitutes femininity? One answer would be the objects in one’s life, and what one does with them.

A 1981 staged production of Harry Partch's hitch-hiker piece, Barstow.

3 projectors/screens, color, silent

A very early example of fractal-generated terrain.

Part 1 of "3 Miniatures after Melanie Klein" (for Laurence Rickels)

This 1981 short film was a collaboration between Factrix and SF filmmaker Marc Huestis. Starring Erich Brogger.

From the New York Transit Museum archives, a 1981 documentary about the workers who make "A" train service possible. A production of the New York State Museum.

Bal is a pensive self-portrait by Dominique Willoughby and his most dazzling film. His face in extreme close-up is slightly anamorphosised. This is a tête-a-tête between Dominique Willoughby's face and his camera lens whose position the viewer assumes, and during which his eyes follow the movements of his own face. The movements of the face are short and sampled, multiplied and super-imposed filling the screen with a multitude of faces, with abrupt movements, turning, and yet nonetheless connected. But the jolting of the faces has a reflex brutality, as if they were activated by a mechanical force.

This film is the achievement of a process initiated by a fascination with the split movement images Eadweard Muybridge made in the 1870's and 80's. It has become a cinema fantasy on its own origins, an imaginary archeology in some ways.

A very short film on the dangers of organized religion as experienced by a little Chinese girl.

The story of Marija who finished 5th grade at the age of 41 proves it is never too late to get an education. Because of some unfortunate circumstances she had to drop from school after the 4th grade and get a job in the nearest factory. Soon she was promoted into department manager, some workers were envious saying she has no education and that encouraged her return to school.

The film depicts maidservants in Pune, who work ‘purdah style’ in the isolation of home. It looks at piece work home labour, with long hours and low wages, and how the women organise to fight for their rights.

A lightly-humoured animation film explaining the origins and the idea behind "kolhoz" in the Soviet system.