Friday 23 June
8.30pm
ACMI Cinema 2

Without the shackles of narrative or formal structures, abstract animation is – by definition – the purest of the cinematic arts. In laying out their canvas, abstract animators may simply mine such elemental cinematic componants as movement, light and sound or they may skip to the other end of the spectrum and attempt to express an imaginative concept too complex for mere words to convey. An abstract animator may simply be attempting to evoke a feeling or provoke (or even empower) your imagination. There is seldom a single ‘key’ to unlocking the layers in these films – understanding is often a more flexible, personal and interpretive experience. It’s OK not to “know”.

These are the films and filmmakers that the textbooks talk about. This very special collection features some of the most iconic, important abstract animated films ever created and a virtual “Who’s-Who” of the genre. It is an absolutely unique opportunity to experience the very roots of abstract animation and the purest foundations of the moving image.

Curating a program as ambitious as this one takes a lot of help, is helped by some inspiration along the way and inevitably raises questions about those not included. Norman McLaren is an obvious exclusion but a retrospective of his work screened at MIAF last year (thanks to the Melbourne Cinematheque) and currently McLaren prints are locked down pending the release of the NFB’s McLaren DVD set. Len Lye deserves a spot but – with time constraints pressing – we felt that he was one animator with which enough people were familiar. Where is Robert Breer, George Griffin or Mary Ellen Bute? Why stop at the 1970’s? Where is Kirsten Winters or Baerbel Neubauer? Valid questions. Perhaps a future MIAF can pick up this program’s baton.

This program would not have been possible without Christophe Bichon and the Lightcone Archive in Paris – one of the world’s great cinematic treasure chests and a place that MIAF regularly loves to lose itself in. Additionally, inspirational credit needs to go to Joost Rekveld’s outstanding programs at Fantoche 2005.