Movie Nights

An informal series of four screenings kicks off running through July kicks off Thursday, July 6 at 7pm at the University of the Arts.

Recognizing that art comes not only from art but also from other area of visual experience, this series of screenings explores the relationship between films and artworks in four artists’ practice. Artists will show films they found influential as a way to indirectly address the subjects that inform their work. (Some further thought on what it might mean to be influenced by something are here.)

Each event will take place in at the University of the Arts, 320 S. Broad St., Anderson Hall Room 212. All screenings are free.

Thursday, July 6 – Painter Jane Irish begins the series by introducing Different Sons (56 minutes). In the late summer of 1970, the VVAW organized Operation RAW (Rapid American Withdrawal) a four day march by 100 Vietnam veterans from Morristown, N.J. to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. This documentary records that event and the personal reminiscences of the participants. During the march, the veterans described their experiences in Vietnam to spectators and re-enacted scenes of civilian mistreatment which they had witnessed during the war. On the last day of the march the veterans were welcomed to Valley Forge by friends and relatives. In the closing ceremonies honoring those killed and wounded in Vietnam, the participants crush their plastic M-16 rifles and chant for peace. Ms. Irish's work has been involved with history - specifically the Viet Nam war - for some time, and she has exhibited widely. For more information about her recent show at the PA Academy, follow this link. To learn about Operation RAW, go here.

Thursday, July 13 – Filmmaker Joe Nanashe screens Even Dwarves Started Small (Werner Herzog, 1970). Information about Mr. Nanashe's work can be found here here.


Tuesday, July 18 – Isaac Resnikoff screens Alone in the Wilderness (Dick Proenneke, 2004). Mr. Resnikoff's work is represented by Fleisher/Ollman Gallery in Philadlephia, and information about him can be found here.


Thursday, July 27 – Paul Falzone screens The Five Obstructions (Jorgen Leth, 2003). Directed by Lars von Trier, the film documents an experiment/interaction/game between him and his mentor, noted Danish experimental filmmaker Jorgen Leth based on art/film school assignments in which students are given limitations that they must work within. If you haven't seen it, the film is a fascinating exploration of the tensions between form and content, between mentor and student, and between documentary and nondocumentary formats. It's also a really fun movie to watch