April 2020
LETTER REGARDING SEMINAR POSTPONEMENT
I hope this April newsletter finds you, and your loved ones, healthy and safe! While everyone comes to terms with the impact of COVID-19 on our world and in each of our communities, we will have to postpone the 66th edition of the Flaherty Seminar scheduled for June 13 - 19. There are too many unknown variables at this time and we have to prioritize the health of all our participants and invited artists.
We are planning a virtual fellows program and will be in touch with applicants soon about details. Professional development, curatorial, LEF - New England, and Philadelphia area fellows will not need to reapply to participate in the rescheduled in-person Seminar provided that they still meet the requirements of the respective fellowships.
I know this news, though inevitable, will be disappointing to many of you. I know, too, how important the Seminar is as a space of creative and critical community. Janaína Oliveira had assembled an exciting group of international artists to explore ideas of Opacity through their incredible works. We expect to reschedule her seminar for 2021, and hope that this will give us all something to look forward to.
Shambhavi Kaul (2019 Featured Artist) wrote of her experience at the Seminar that "The Flaherty Film Seminar is a truly cinematic space. To attend is to assemble with the unassembled, to move in the dark, to blow it open and then put it back together. At a moment when the cinema feels elusive, I was thrilled to find it here!”
At a moment when our days are blown open, and as we each labor to reassemble our realities, obligations, and practices, I hope that we continue to delve deeper into contact with the universal human spirit. We will be in touch soon to assemble in cinemas, discussion, and innovation at the 66th Flaherty Film Seminar.
Until then, very best wishes to you and your family from all of us at the Flaherty.
Jon-Sesrie Goff, Executive Director
Our office building is closed, but The Flaherty staff is still here for you during this pandemic. We wanted to do something special for the April Newsletter, so we put together some events and resources that will hopefully help you cope during these stressful times and maybe guide your way through finding a life saving emergency fund.
Since we will be working remotely, the best way to reach us is by email: ifs@flahertyseminar.org
Don’t forget you can submit your ideas and events to our May Newsletter going directly to our website here.
WORLD RECORDS VOL 3
WORLD RECORDS VOL 3
Documenting Blackness at the
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Edited by Jason Fox & Mia Mask with contributions by Ina Archer, Franklin Cason, Jr., Rhea L. Combs, Jon-Sesrie Goff, Reverend Alisha Gordon, Lisa Kennedy, Josslyn Luckett, Jessica Lynne, Sam Pollard, Michele Prettyman, Elizabeth Reich, and Jeff Scheible.
Flaherty Filmmakers & Fellows
The 33rd Images Festival (April 16–22, 2020) is going online! The program will open with a first feature by Sky Hopinka (2018 Flaherty Filmmaker) and features a number of early shorts by Anocha Suwichakornpong (2018 Flaherty Filmmaker), as well as adapted performance for video by Miko Revereza (2019 Flaherty Filmmaker).
Past Flaherty fellows include a program featuring Kevin B. Lee’s (2012 Flaherty Fellow) video essays produced as a resident at the Harun Farocki Institute, and a program with COUSIN (Adam Khalil - 2018 Flaherty Fellow, Alexandra Lazarowich - Former Flaherty Summer Seminar Staff, Adam Piron - Flaherty Board Member, and Sky Hopinka)
The 2020 Images Research Forum led by Almudena Escobar Lopez (2014 Flaherty Fellow and Flaherty NYC Programmer) will also be taking place remotely with a cohort of six filmmakers and critics participating from Canada, Ecuador, Peru, and the US.
Visit IMAGES FESTIVAL to stay tuned for more updates on accessing the programs, scheduling and additional announcements.
Joel Neville Anderson (2013 Flaherty Fellow) published an article on Naomi Kawase (2016 Flaherty Filmmaker ) in the journal Studies in Documentary Film: “Home Birth, World Cinema: Kawase Naomi’s Films in Circulation.” Part of the special issue "Feminist Approaches in Women’s First Person Documentaries from East Asia” edited by Kiki Tianqi Yu and Alisa Lebow.
ONLINE SCREENING RESOURCES
Tired of Netflix? Stream Experimental Films and Video Art
"Gathered here are both films recently made free and some older gems, just because." - Dessane Lopez Cassel
Dessane Lopez Cassel (Former Flaherty NYC Programmer) of Hyperallergic reached out to artists, filmmakers, and Hyperallergic contributors to assemble a list of what we’ve been sharing on our networks, after finding inspiration in Kate Lain’s “Cabin Fever” playlist.
CABIN FEVER: Coping with COVID-19 playlist of online experimental films & videos
From Kate Lain: I started “CABIN FEVER: Coping with COVID-19 playlist of online experimental films & videos” on March 13 as a way to gather some online experimental work to send to my video art students once in-person classes were canceled. I arranged the films based on moods one might be experiencing while being cooped up. I thought it might be a fun collaborative resource for other folks out there in the same boat, so I turned it into a collaborative google sheet, shared it with folks in the experimental film community, and it took off. The crowdsourced list has grown by leaps and bounds. In doing so, it has morphed a bit from its initial mood-based arrangement, and some great new categories have been added to the mix
Cinema Arts Centre
While unfortunately SXSW had to be cancelled this year, you can still watch most of the 2020 Official Short Film Selection for FREE online right now, Stream it here!
We are proud to continue to bring you new and exciting content and to support the efforts of Oscilloscope Laboratories & Mailchimp in their partnership to launch the #SupportTheShorts platform, a free website now streaming the Official SXSW 2020 Short Films.
ARTIST RESOURCES
In times of crisis, artists are often among those most affected. In addition to health concerns, this is a challenging moment for many in our community as we deal with cancelled income and trying to make plans during uncertain times. Creative Capital has always been anchored by a rich spirit of community and mutual generosity, and we believe that continuing communication and exchange are crucial for all of us. As COVID-19 continues to spread across the United States, we have created a list of resources for artists working in all disciplines, as well as arts philanthropists, and arts professionals.
We will continue to update this list over the next few months. If you have a resource to add, please fill out this form. You can also let us know through the form, what you would like to see.
Also check out our list of arts events that have moved online due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
New York Foundation for the Arts EMERGENCY GRANTS
New York Foundation for the Arts is a nonprofit service organization that provides the concrete resources that working artists and emerging arts organizations need to thrive.
Michael L. Royce, Executive Director, NYFA, sent an important message to the community: “We at NYFA are taking precautions with the evidence of sustained community transmission of COVID-19 in New York City, and wanted to be in touch with updates and resources to help you during this uncertain time.” You can read the complete message here.
For more on Covid-19 related information you can visit the NYFA’s blog, here you’ll find many opportunities including the Anonymous Was A Woman relief grant in response to the coronavirus crisis.
Image by Quinn Fenlon. Photo by Ann Marie Lonsdale from the deYoung Museum.
COVID-19 Freelance Artist Resources
This list is specifically designed to serve freelance artists, and those interested in supporting the independent artist community. This includes, but is not limited to, actors, designers, producers, technicians, stage managers, musicians, composers, choreographers, visual artists, filmmakers, craft artists, teaching artists, dancers, writers & playwrights, photographers, etc. Check out our expanding #ArtistResource online event series (and click here for events from other sources).
COVID-19 Resource Toolkit for Artists and our Extended Communities
The Vera List Center for Art and Politics is closely monitoring and observing the ever-changing guidelines on how to prepare for and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Our upcoming programs have either been suspended or are moving online.
During this time, our goal is to continue to support our community of artists, writers, and arts organizations and to provide a safe space where art and politics can intersect. Here you’ll find a list of resources ranging from virtual programs and events to emergency grants and funding for those in need during this time.
RESOURCE GUIDE FOR FILMMAKERS AND CREATIVES DURING COVID-19 CRISIS
MADE IN NY Media Center by IFP has put together a comprehensive resource guide that will continue to be updated in the coming days.
CALL FOR ENTRIES
The BlackStar Film Festival is an annual celebration of the visual and storytelling traditions of the African diaspora and of global indigenous communities, showcasing films by black and brown people from around the world. Final Deadline: Before April 13.
Submit to our e-newsletter through our website.
We will no longer send a separate email for submissions, please visit our site anytime for instructions to submit your listing for our newsletter through the ‘About’ section of the site’s drop-down menu.
2019 Catalog Available Now!
The 2019 Seminar Catalogue includes detailed information about the 65th Robert Flaherty Film Seminar. This publication is the result of a collaboration between Flaherty / International Film Seminars, Inc. and World Records, in conjunction with the Action: the 2019 Flaherty Film Seminar, programmed by Shai Heredia.
Thank you to all our contributors: Shai Heredia, Jason Fox, Abby Sun, Joel Neville Anderson, Lakshmi Padmanabhan, Priya Sen, Ani Maitra, Pooja Rangan, Aparna Sharma, Jim Supanick, Tenzin Phuntsog, Jheanelle Brown, Chet Pancake, and Carl Elsaesser.
Edited by World Records
Design by Dan Schrempf
Copy Editing by Nadine Covert
SUPPORT the Flaherty
With your support, we will continue to bring filmmakers and audiences of all levels together. All contributions, whether large or small, help ensure the excellence of Flaherty programs for many years to come. Every donation makes it easier for us to support the artists in their art and to inspire others to create. Any amount you are able to donate will have a big impact.
If you prefer to donate by check please make it out to: The Flaherty, 80 Hanson Place, #603, Brooklyn, NY 11217.
About the Flaherty
The Flaherty is a media arts organization that brings together diverse, curious minds to foster an in-depth discourse on film and the creative process. We believe in the transformative power of the moving image and its ability to change how we think about film, and the world we live in. Since 1954, our unique Robert Flaherty Film Seminar, has provided an unparalleled opportunity to explore beyond known limits of the moving image and renew the challenge to discover, reveal and illuminate the ways of life of peoples and cultures throughout the world.
