Movies
Alchemy, magic, witchcraft, sorcery. Cinema has conjured all sorts of these comparisons. The original cinematic artform was the magic lantern after all! Cinema has been enthralled with the possibility of flirting with the unknown, through the edit in order to manifest illusion. In this program, we dive into different approaches filmmakers have used in order to summon the spirits. From an vessel for magic at cinema’s impetus in George Méliès’ iconic work to the algorithmic alchemy of Guy Maddin’s interactive piece Seances to Brakhage’s ‘sexual witchcraft’ to the ‘artist-alchemist’ Patrick Bokanowski’s first film.