This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Shorts 5: Experimental: Looking Glass

Presented in association with San Francisco Cinematheque

In ways quietly observant and intensely expressive, these eleven experimental films take us on a journey through the looking glass—reflecting on the past, illuminating the present, and imagining the future. A story is told backward, a girl is magically transformed, and everyday objects aren’t what they seem. Two lost films are found; two others alchemically altered. 

—Kathy Geritz, Vanessa O’Neill

Notes below are adapted from comments by the filmmakers.

Queen Takes Pawn
 (Su Friedrich, U.S., 2013). A journey through an old house by way of a mirror, a child’s storybook, and some images from days gone by. (7 mins, Color)

Metamorfoza (Martha Colburn, The Netherlands, 2013). During wartime, a girl magically transforms. (7 mins, Color)

Little Girl (Bruce Baillie, U.S., 1966). Prune Blossoms, Healdsburg; Little Girl Outside Sebastopol; Two Waterbugs, Graton. (10 mins, Color/B&W, Restored in 2013 by the Academy Film Archive)

Dad’s Stick (John Smith, U.K., 2012). Three objects my father showed me shortly before he died. (5 mins, Color)

66, Episode 1: ICHOR (Lewis Klahr, U.S., 2013). My personal version of utopia. (5:30 mins, Color)

De Luce 2: Architectura (Janis Crystal Lipzin, U.S., 2013). Light and photochemistry collide and conspire against different architectural backdrops. (8:30 mins, Color)

Farther than the eye can see (Basma Alsharif, Jordan/United Arab Emirates, 2012). Traces an experience to a place that no longer exists. (13 mins, Color)

Lost and Found (Jim Jennings, U.S., 1988/2013). Filmed 20 or so years ago on an excursion back and forth from Manhattan to Staten Island. Later I arranged the shots and hid it in a box for a long time. (5 mins, Silent, B&W) 

Entr’Acte (Lawrence Jordan, U.S., 2013). A series of vaudeville acts inserted between the lines of reality. (3 mins, Color)

A Study in Natural Magic (Charlotte Pryce, U.S., 2013). An alchemist’s spell. (3 mins, Silent, Color)

Bright Mirror (Paul Clipson, U.S., 2013). A figure, a landscape, and a camera blur into something between dance and drawing. (9 mins, Color/B&W)

• Total running time: 80 mins 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?