I was sitting in the Austrian Alps last weekend, after attending the closing ceremony of the Kitzbuhel Film Festival, and I discovered a director I had never heard of before.
Christine, here are a few names of directors that come to mind and you would enjoy.
Of course there is the work of Jonas Mekas, film curator, artist, whose work embraced life, friends, love and family: I think the best way to start is with this dvd "He stands in the desert counting the seconds of his life"
Another important film to me remains Jerzy Skolimowski's Moonlighting, starring Jeremy Irons in one of his best performances. To me, it's the best "social comment" film ever made.
If you enjoy the poetry of film as a pure visual form, check the films of Paradjanov
The film foundation and Martin Scorsese have just restored the breathtaking Shadows of forgotten ancestors. It should be released soon.
Thank you for the wonderful posts. I once thought that my obsession with cinema would be enough to support my work as a director: I have been misled but I am so happy to read posts like yours, which prove that there is still a love for the art of cinema within the film community worldwide.
Thank you for these suggestions Nicolas! I watched the clip from Meka's works and more than anything I think his use of language over the video is very human and speaks to the grand tragedy of life. Of course this is just from that one clip but thank you for sharing it - very experimental for sure. And Paradjanov's work was much more playful - with the grand costume design and situations. Both are quite interesting. I will take the time to watch Moonlighting in the near future. And thank you for your kind words about the reciprocity of our love of cinema. I am glad that my writing has found some sincerity in your ears. I think there are many of us who long for the outward enjoyment of cinema as art once again but as with all art forms, commercialization will always draw forward. In the meantime, we can enjoy sharing our love with each other.
I wish I could have found a less intense Mekas clip, but the dvd I recommended is the greatest possible introduction to his work: gentle and full of life.
Another great filmmaker is Frederick Wiseman: start with his impressive documentary called Welfare.
Austria is home to this fantastic archive / DVD label called Index Films, legit deep from the experimental film side of cinematic history. Highly recommend checking them out:
As for unknown directors, no matter how obscure I tend to assume people interested in them already heard of them, but I'll take a swing with Jamin Winans, a super indie filmmakers (and DJ) I believe from Denver, who made this really cool movie called INK and is coming out with a new movie called MYTH OF MAN. He's incredibly visual, DIY, and good at managing time-bending narratives; like a pop Shane Carruth yet less popular.
I can't really get excited about Art for Art's Sake or just admiring a film like a painting. I believe cinema can be much more than just entertainment or the so-called art film. A couple of films that really moved me, are not necessarily obscure, but I think are important films. I love "Children of Paradise" (1943-1945) and "Resurrection" (1980) and I don't think that a film is necessarily just an auteur's work, unless the writer/director/editor/composer/etc. does almost everything and on a budget that is simply amazing, like Mark Pirro, who has made feature films for as little as $500 or Stefan Avalos, who made the feature "Last Broadcast" for $900. These are geniuses in their own right. Maybe their films are not important, but their talent could make an amazingly important film if they really wanted to.
Christine, here are a few names of directors that come to mind and you would enjoy.
Of course there is the work of Jonas Mekas, film curator, artist, whose work embraced life, friends, love and family: I think the best way to start is with this dvd "He stands in the desert counting the seconds of his life"
A clip from Mekas works
https://youtu.be/cmZTcQj2M0I?feature=shared
Another important film to me remains Jerzy Skolimowski's Moonlighting, starring Jeremy Irons in one of his best performances. To me, it's the best "social comment" film ever made.
https://www.amazon.com/Moonlighting-Blu-ray-Jeremy-Irons/dp/B083281VYP/ref=sr_1_8?crid=2KS1V3WXTSJDM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pd1CRkjj-DYrqwEtl-cnJsMW_ge5xgNiJiMe4WKEFneapNXqw_Pft76jPMyCoYkMzrFL-8MTanbuJJz3OSIL3k2xFHa-aTLVAMq_VMJAs_4b7lu4dfHifENlVq_wHaP7kSM93ZXqcF2gZd4AJpD6-FSvmX_yZxLSzOF0y5CcvOrk82YqhL6xPmNQY7YCCbAqbdW73Ih8m1Z5nkhr-0QTw0PWqyKRUxxkxOUVJ1YcQ9I.55JB3yyymlns0amjJ_OLkJvPnIMkFdul3M8g0KQUD-E&dib_tag=se&keywords=moonlighting&qid=1725779391&s=movies-tv&sprefix=Moonli%2Cmovies-tv-intl-ship%2C307&sr=1-8
If you enjoy the poetry of film as a pure visual form, check the films of Paradjanov
The film foundation and Martin Scorsese have just restored the breathtaking Shadows of forgotten ancestors. It should be released soon.
Thank you for the wonderful posts. I once thought that my obsession with cinema would be enough to support my work as a director: I have been misled but I am so happy to read posts like yours, which prove that there is still a love for the art of cinema within the film community worldwide.
Thank you for these suggestions Nicolas! I watched the clip from Meka's works and more than anything I think his use of language over the video is very human and speaks to the grand tragedy of life. Of course this is just from that one clip but thank you for sharing it - very experimental for sure. And Paradjanov's work was much more playful - with the grand costume design and situations. Both are quite interesting. I will take the time to watch Moonlighting in the near future. And thank you for your kind words about the reciprocity of our love of cinema. I am glad that my writing has found some sincerity in your ears. I think there are many of us who long for the outward enjoyment of cinema as art once again but as with all art forms, commercialization will always draw forward. In the meantime, we can enjoy sharing our love with each other.
I wish I could have found a less intense Mekas clip, but the dvd I recommended is the greatest possible introduction to his work: gentle and full of life.
Another great filmmaker is Frederick Wiseman: start with his impressive documentary called Welfare.
Austria is home to this fantastic archive / DVD label called Index Films, legit deep from the experimental film side of cinematic history. Highly recommend checking them out:
sixpackfilm.com/en/index edition
As for unknown directors, no matter how obscure I tend to assume people interested in them already heard of them, but I'll take a swing with Jamin Winans, a super indie filmmakers (and DJ) I believe from Denver, who made this really cool movie called INK and is coming out with a new movie called MYTH OF MAN. He's incredibly visual, DIY, and good at managing time-bending narratives; like a pop Shane Carruth yet less popular.
I love this! Thank you.
I can't really get excited about Art for Art's Sake or just admiring a film like a painting. I believe cinema can be much more than just entertainment or the so-called art film. A couple of films that really moved me, are not necessarily obscure, but I think are important films. I love "Children of Paradise" (1943-1945) and "Resurrection" (1980) and I don't think that a film is necessarily just an auteur's work, unless the writer/director/editor/composer/etc. does almost everything and on a budget that is simply amazing, like Mark Pirro, who has made feature films for as little as $500 or Stefan Avalos, who made the feature "Last Broadcast" for $900. These are geniuses in their own right. Maybe their films are not important, but their talent could make an amazingly important film if they really wanted to.
I am adoring Sophie Barthes work currently!