Seeing the City: Avant-Garde Visions of New York
Film at Lincoln Center and The Film-Makers’ Cooperative present “Seeing the City: Avant-Garde Visions of New York from The Film-Makers’ Cooperative Collection and Beyond,” to be presented at FLC from May 3–7. The series will feature a selection of films from The Film-Makers’ Cooperative catalog and elsewhere that paint a unique portrait of the city, with many presented on 16mm.
An iconic, oftentimes cliched, cinematic setting for hundreds of films, New York has regularly played a starring role in the history of cinema. Narrative films set in New York City are almost a subgenre unto themselves and have received copious attention. Less well explored are visions of the city anchored in exploration, experimentation, and subversive political commitment. This set of programs offers a diverse and engaging introduction to some of the scores of films in The Film-Makers’ Cooperative’s collection (and beyond) that explore the city. From the lyrical evocations of the anonymity of the crowd and mass transit, and a clutch of visionary works examining the built environment, to sets of films exploring housing, the lurking shadow of ever-encroaching gentrification, and works on specific areas of the city, this selection gives an alternative vision of one of the most filmed and photographed metropolises on earth.
Organized by Tom Day and Dan Sullivan. Tom Day would like to thank the entire Film-Makers’ Cooperative team, especially interns Haley Aaskow, Chris Stoddard, and Lucy Talbot Allen.
Program 1: Moving Through the Metropolis: Transit Images
Program 2: The Postwar City Symphony, Part 1
Introduced by Erica Stein, Associate Professor and Chair of Film at Vassar College and author of Seeing Symphonically: Avant-Garde Film, Urban Planning, and the Utopian Image of New York (SUNY Press, 2021) on May 3
A cornerstone genre of experimental film, the city symphony was born in Europe and linked strongly to Modernism. This program explores the New York-based city symphony as exemplified by works by Marie Menken, D.A. Pennebaker, Rudy Burckhardt, Ian Hugo, Francis Thompson, and Arthur ‘Weegee’ Felig.
Program 3: The Postwar City Symphony, Part 2
Introduced by Erica Stein, Associate Professor and Chair of Film at Vassar College and author of Seeing Symphonically: Avant-Garde Film, Urban Planning, and the Utopian Image of New York (SUNY Press, 2021) on May 4
Beyond the aestheticism and pure technical and perceptual adventurousness of films in “The Postwar City Symphony, Part 1,” the films in Part 2 use the city symphony mode as a means to explore more cerebral topics, ushering in a new era for the genre. Featuring works by Michael Jacobson, Rick Liss, Peter Von Ziegesar, and Steven Siegel.
Program 4: Architecture and Gendered Space
Program 5: Gentrification and Urban Renewal, Part 1
Program 6: Gentrification and Urban Renewal, Part 2
Program 7: On the Loisaida and the Streets of the South Bronx
Program 8: Off to the Beach: Coney Island
Program 9: Nature and Nonhuman Animals
Program 10: Downtown Counternarratives
$17 for the General Public; $14 for Students, Seniors, and Persons with Disabilities; and $12 for FLC Members.
See more and save with a 3+ Film Package. $15 for the General Public; $12 for Students, Seniors, and Persons with Disabilities; and $10 for FLC Members. Discount automatically applied in cart after adding three (3) or more films.
See everything in the series with a $79 All-Access Pass or $59 Student All-Access Pass.
Complimentary tickets for FLC Members and Patrons are eligible for standard-priced screenings and events in this series.
Ticket Information
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