Anthology Film Archive

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(Photo: John Miripiri and Karina at Anthology.)

Yesterday we went to Anthology Film Archives, which is exactly that, an archive for Avant-Garde and independant films. Anthology has approximately 20,000 films, all preserved on film; no video. The center specializes in Avant-Garde viewings for public and special private purposes, catalogs of A-G films, and on top of that, the incredibly small team of 5 employees serves as a database of information for anyone with questions. Archive has two theaters, one of which is named after visionary filmmaker Maya Deren, a library, and a film storage area, which I thought somewhat resembled a small-scale version of the warehouse at the end of the first Indiana Jones movie. And, one of the founders of Anthology is Jonas Mekas, who is regarded by many in the A-G community to be the father of the medium.

We watched about 5 short films, my favorite of which was very short, had no sound, but treated light and color in such a soft, beautiful way that is was extremely moving. The movie seemed to take place in a greenhouse, and featured close-ups of two people, their surrounding environment, and winding plants. The fast motion of the images also contributed to its emotive power.