response to filmmaker presentations

Surprisingly, I had never heard of Marlon Riggs before this presentation, but I feel like I’ve seen some of his work before, especially what we watched from Tongues Untied.  Something about the “brother to brother” part seemed familiar but I can’t think of where I possibly could’ve seen it before.  I really enjoyed Maggie’s presentation because she was really thorough, and we got to watch a lot of Riggs’s work which, along with the fact that he has a very distinct voice and filmic fingerprint, made it easier to connect with him as an artist.  I am definitely interested in learning about other queer experimental filmmakers besides Kenneth Anger and Jack Smith, and I feel like it’s important to absorb that there are different kinds of queerness outside of the white gay male experience.

Yay for LGBTQ women! I loved what we got to see of Su Friedrich and I think her style is so interesting, and I am very intrigued by the process of combining documentary and experimental film.  I wish we could’ve seen more of her work, but I can tell that she has a very strong voice and that I would engage well with her as an artist who is also passionate about feminist and queer politics.  “The personal is political” is such a powerful statement, and a very pertinent one.  I can tell that Catherine worked hard to convey Su’s spirit and ideology, and I am definitely going to check out more of Su’s work.

I want to start off by saying that I am extremely jealous that Gabby got to interview her filmmaker! (I would’ve loved to be able to shoot Viking Eggeling a text about his picture scrolls tbh)  Jen Proctor seems like such an interesting and eccentric person, which is evidenced by not only her work, but from how she chose to tell her story as an artist.  I am very into found footage so I loved the plane crash film, and I want to see the bathroom film so badly oh my god.  The presentation on her was so cool because of the specific details that Gabby chose to use.  It’s heartening to know that accomplished experimental filmmakers also make silly Star Wars parodies in their backyards.  It added a layer of humanness that isn’t as accessible with other filmmakers.