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Conversations at the Edge

Conversations at the Edge, organized by SAIC's department of Film, Video, and New Media, is a dynamic weekly series of screenings, artist talks, and performances by some of the most exciting media artists of yesterday and today.

Chicago premiere!
John Gianvito in person!
PROFIT MOTIVE AND THE WHISPERING WIND
2007, John Gianvito, USA, 61 min.

Inspired by Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, PROFIT MOTIVE AND THE WHISPERING WIND is a quietly stunning memorial to the lives of America’s radicals, rebels, and everyday freethinkers from colonial times through the present. Filmmaker Gianvito traveled the country for three years, shooting the burial sites of figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Eugene V. Debs, Emma Goldman, Malcolm X, and César Chávez; historical markers for uprisings, rebellions, and strikes; and the landscapes surrounding these storied places. Preceded by Hope Tucker’s BESSIE COHEN, SURVIVOR OF 1911 SHIRTWAIST FIRE (2000, 3 min.). Co-presented by the Chicago Cinema Forum. DigiBeta video. (Amy Beste)

Filmmaker John Gianvito will be present for an audience discussion, moderated by Gabe Klinger, Director of Programming for the Chicago Cinema Forum.

Thursday, September 4, 6:00 pm

Restored 35mm blow-ups!
The Films of Robert Breer, 1957-86
1957-86, Robert Breer, USA, ca. 70 min.

Joyous, restless, audacious, and witty, Robert Breer has created formally innovative animated films filled with humor and charm. Tonight’s program features a selection of sparkling new 35mm blow-ups, including BLAZES (1961), FIST FIGHT (1964), A MAN AND HIS DOG OUT FOR AIR (1957), 69 (1968), FUJI (1974), SWISS ARMY KNIFE WITH RATS AND PIGEONS (1981), EYEWASH (1959), 66 (1966), 77 (1970), and BANG! (1986). Preservation by Anthology Film Archives, with the generous support of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. 35mm. (Jim Trainor)

Thursday, September 11, 6:00 pm

Jon Satrom in person!
Glitch: Creative Problem Creating
1966-2008, Various directors, Various countries, ca. 90 min.

Often considered to be a problem, errors, glitches, and accidents are nonetheless a part of the art-marking process. Curated by new media artist and SAIC faculty member Jon Satrom, this program gathers films, videos, hacked TV broadcasts, interactive work, and modified video games that revel in failure, rejoice in errors, and celebrate the happy accident. Works include: SUICIDE SOLUTION (Brody Condon, 2004), LINE (Siebren Versteeg (2000); 486 SHORT VIDEOS (LoVid, 2008), gameboy_ultraF_uk, (Corby & Baily, 2001); ATARI NOISE (Arcangel Constantini, 2000); THE WEBSITE IS DOWN (Josh Weinberg, 2008); TIEDOE (Karl Komp & Totek, 2008). Various formats. (Jon Satrom)

Curator Jon Satrom will be present for an audience discussion.

Thursday, September 18, 6:00 pm

Dani Leventhal in person!
Eyes Wide Open: Videos By Dani Leventhal
2003-7, Dani Leventhal, Israel/Lithuania/USA, ca. 65 min.

At once tender and savage, Dani Leventhal’s astonishing video diaries capture the banal and the horrific to reveal the transcendent beauty and pain of daily life. In the award-winning DRAFT 9 (2003), Leventhal cuts between skinned animals, well-fed pets, her grandfather’s Holocaust-tattooed arm, and her own romantic liaisons. Also on the program: SHOW AND TELL IN THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY (2007), 9 MINUTES OF KAUNAUS (2007), PICNIC (2006), and 3 PARTS FOR TODAY (2007). Co-presented by the Video Data Bank. Various formats. (Amy Beste)

Filmmaker Dani Leventhal will be present for an audience discussion.

Thursday, September 25, 6:00 pm

Bryan Wendorf in person!
15 Years of the Chicago Underground Film Festival
1995-2007, Various directors, USA, ca. 90 min.

Roger Ebert said of the Chicago Underground Film Festival, “What you get for your money is not just admission to the films, but admission to a subculture.” This program, co-curated by CUFF co-founder and Artistic Director Bryan Wendorf, charts the festival’s 15-year history through such films as Jennifer Reeder’s 1996 riot grrrl call-to-arms, CLIT-O-MATIC (1995); James Fotopoulos’s transgressive experimentation, DROWNING (2001); Jim Finn’s Marxist-inspired history of the gerbil, WÜSTINSPRINGMAUS (2002); Ben Russell’s transcendent concert film, BLACK AND WHITE TRYPPS #3 (2007); and many others. CUFF (cuff.org) presents a second retrospective program on Friday, October 3, at the Nightingale. The 15th Annual Chicago Underground Film Festival and Filmmaker Summit is presented by IFP/Chicago and runs October 29 - November 2.. Various formats. (Amy Beste)

CUFF Artistic Director Bryan Wendorf will be present for an audience discussion.

Thursday, October 2, 6:00 pm

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