Q&A with Ericka Beckman on October 6

Incorporating elements of theater, dance, and performative fantasy, the films of Ericka Beckman are unique documents of the conjoined trajectory of Pop Art and the American avant-garde. Whimsically examining issues of self-image, gender, and female sexuality, Beckman’s surrealist odysseys employ universal narrative threads as allegorical building blocks for ambitiously staged productions that variously utilize optical printing, in-camera editing, and early 3D mapping technology. Following a number of Super 8 shorts made while studying at CalArts, Beckman moved to 16mm for the proto-interactive gameplay adventure You the Better (1983) and a musical reimagining of Cinderella (1986), pocket epics that speak to her infectious and practically minded creativity.

Cinderella, 1986, 28m
You the Better, 1983, 32m