CineMarfa 2015
This year’s program focused on science fiction and explored cultural concepts about outer space and the cosmos. Louis Black presented MADE IN TEXAS, a compilation of films curated by Jonathan Demme featuring the early 80s work of underground Austin filmmakers including David Boone, Ed Lowry, and other important pioneers of the Austin film scene. Detroit-based artist Scott Reeder was in attendance for the Texas Premiere of his critically acclaimed film MOON DUST (2014), a dystopian comedy about a resort on the moon that was 10 years in the making. John Corbett of Corbett Vs. Dempsey gallery and record label and editor of the book Sun Ra, the Astro Black and other Solar Myths introduced a screening of Sun Ra’s avant-garde sf/blaxplo SPACE IS THE PLACE (1974) along with a selection of rare Afro-futurist shorts and a musical performance by Rob Mazurek.Thomas Beard, Founder and Director of Light Industry in Brooklyn, presented Wesley Barry’s classic sf film CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS (1962) - a film reported to be Andy Warhol’s favorite movie of all time.Wangechi Mutu’s short film THE END OF EATING EVERYTHING (2013) - the artist’s first animated video, created in collaboration with recording artist Santigold - was screened with Rene Laloux’s animated masterpiece FANTASTIC PLANET (1973).Ekrem Serdar of Austin’s Experimental Response Cinema brought a program of new experimental shorts inspired by the Transformers, AGE OF EXTINCTION: Films for Transformers.In another Texas premiere, Swiss director Belinda Sallin’s new documentary about the uncanny universe of artist H.R. Giger DARKSTAR: H.R. GIGER’S WORLD (2014) was screened. Other programs included: Aleksai German’s epic HARD TO BE A GOD (2013), Houston based artists Peter Lucas and Camilo Gonzalez’program ONE SMALL STEP (2015) , Lizzie Borden’s feminist speculative docudrama BORN IN FLAMES (1983), Andrei Ujica’s documentary about the MIR space station OUT OF THE PRESENT (1996), Tim Grabham and Jasper Sharp’s award-winning “real life science fiction” doc about slime mold THE CREEPING GARDEN (2014), and a number of films made by Marfa-based artists.
