Category — Film Series

Thursday, June 14 at 8pm

The Cut-Ups is a refreshing and radical film that adopts William S. Burroughs’ reality-altering, Beat writing method to film. Implementing his technique of cut-ups, the work was edited mathematically in order to erase the idea of the author, and to allow the “Third Mind” to become the force behind the narrative; the result is both maddening and hynotic.

Christopher MacLaine’s legendary film The End portrays five different people on the last day of their lives. A poetic, philosophical examination of life and its unexpected end, this film draws comparisons between the dehumanizing effects of mass culture and personal despair, as we all await “the grand suicide of the human race.”

Wednesday and Thursday, May 24th and 25th at 8pm

The Summer Film Series at New Art Across the Bridge continues with one of the most acclaimed documentaries of the decade, Adam Curtis’ The Power of Nightmares. The three-hour documentary will be shown over two nights, starting at 8pm each night. Part One will be screened on Wednesday, May 24th and Parts Two and Three will be on Thursday, May 25th.

This three-part BBC documentary is arguably the most important film about the “war on terrorism” since the events of September 11. It explores the origins in the 1940s and 50s of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Middle East and Neoconservatism in America, parallels between these movements, and their effect on the world today. It argues that the idea that we are threatened by a hidden and organized terrorist network is an illusion that politicians have used to restore their power and authority in a disillusioned age. [Read more →]

Wednesday, April 19 at 8pm

In order to provide alternative entertainment to the Charlottesville community, The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative is joining with the Virginia Film Society to present a Summer Film Series at New Art Across The Bridge. The unique films in the series provide a perfect blend of the political, the personal, and the experimental to liven up the summer arts scene.

The series begins with the darkly comedic film, Wizard People, Dear Reader on Wednesday, April 19. As a twisted narrative reimagining characters in a popular children’s fantasy movie, this work provides a unique approach to storytelling by replacing the film’s original soundtrack with alternative dialogue. Comic book artist Brad Neely’s subversive rescripting of a Hollywood film has been called a “new art form.” Neely states, “What I wanted to do was not make fun of the movie, but build something around that preexisting thing.”

Wednesday, March 15 at 8pm

An important figure in avant-garde film, Hollis Frampton created films beginning in the early 1960’s and continuing until his death in 1984. Coming to filmmaking from a career in still photography, his films often exploit cinematic language to explore the materiality of the filmic image, rather than concentrating on narrative content. Simultaneously playful and intellectual, Frampton’s films at times confound comprehension in their structuralist exploration of film art.

A screening of Hollis Frampton films will take place at The Bridge on Wednesday, March 15. The films will include Lemon, Zorns Lemma, Critical Mass, and Nostalgia. Approximate running time for the entire program is 2.5 hours. Sponsored by The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, OFFScreen, and the Virginia Film Society. [Read more →]