Tuesday Night I attended a free screening of the 51st Ann Arbor film festival’s collection of short films, hoping to get a taste of what’s to come for the 52nd Ann Arbor film festival , which will be this March 25-30. Each film ran between 1 and 20 minutes, the entire viewing lasted about an hour and a half. Films ranged from imaginitive experimental animation to documentary to narratives with a twist–there’s no catch-all genre to describe what I was in for. Long story short, I was blown away by the talent–not only did I thoroughly enjoy my viewing experience, my entire perspective on what a movie screening can or should be is forever changed.
The first screening to catch my attention was called Burning Star. Running barely over a minute, this kaleidoscopic visual treat rendered what I interpret to be the artist’s rendition of a gaseous star. Strobing patterns of light pulsated around a black center, slowly morphing in shape and color. The stunning visuals were accompanied by a muted buzzing sound, like the crackle of an electric engine. Everything converged to the center, but the center did not remain a passive sight, beaming out pulses of fresh lights and patterns as the star continued to burn.
Another animated story that caught my attention is called Bite of the Tail, a short story about a couple going through financial troubles while the wife struggles to diagnose a strange illness–ultimately implied to be a snakebite. Bite of the Tail deviated from standard narration, each scene episodic and loosely connected to the preceding and following scenes. The film could be called a dysnarrative, if you will–a story which intentionally strays from logical scene-by-scene narrative progression in order to tell a different kind of story–an emotional, psychological journey. Less important than the events were the character’s hopes to make it through financial strife, fear of illness and human frailty–symbolized by the recurrent sinewy dance of a snake.
The next film, Pictures of Skinningrove, departed from animation altogether. This documentary is a series of pictures of the town named in the film’s title, taken over several years by a narrator. An interesting piece because the narrator did not get along with many of the town’s residents, and for this reason, it is as much a documentary about the difficulty of cultural diffusion as it is about the town in question. Although seemingly mundane at first, the stream of pictures slowly glean insight into the living history and culture of Skinningrove, a rural town recalcitrant to interact with the outside world.
There are many more films worth mentioning, such as Meteor, a 20 minute story compiling various archival footage of humynkind’s awe-inspiring explorations into space, and others which I have regretfully forgetten the name of, but the memory of which is forever etched into my mind.
If there’s one thing I learned from the short film exhibition, it’s that there isn’t a right or wrong way to make a movie. The movie screen has a bewitching power over its audience, and its a shame most blockbuster films rarely deviate from such a safe and predictable pattern of discourse. I therefore wholeheartedly encourage my peers to consider attending the 52nd Ann Arbor Film Festival on March 25-30. You will see things that you simply couldn’t at your standard theater. You will be exposed to ideas that Hollywood refuses to approach. It’s an experience that will be different, new, refreshing, inspiring.
schedule here: http://aafilmfest.org/52/events/
buy tickets here: http://www.eventbrite.com/o/ann-arbor-film-festival-3169155882
students get discounts!
