Free Radicals: A History of Experimental Film

A very personal take on the history of experimental film, Pip Chodorov shares his affectionate account of growing up among some of the pioneers of avant-garde cinema.

The film combines interviews, clips, and even some entire artists’ films from such luminaries as Jonas Mekas, Hans Richter, Michael Snow, Peter Kubelka, Robert Breer, and Stan Brakhage (in his last recorded interview). Len Lye’s classic 1959 structuralist animation, shown in its entirety, gives the documentary its title.

Desiring to subvert the conventional rules of film, but creating work not easily collectible by art galleries, Free Radicals illustrates the no-man’s land these innovative filmmakers found themselves in between fine art and commercial practice. Establishing the Film-Makers’ Cooperative and Anthology Film Archives, Jonas Mekas provided an institutional structure for filmmakers who were often struggling to make ends meet.

Part cinematic essay and part loving tribute, Chodorov admits that his film is just one take on a much larger history. Nevertheless, the true joy and sense of rediscovery with which he presents these trailblazers is immediately infectious and extremely illuminating.

Free Radicals is playing in conjunction with the Experimental Film Program, April 29, 7:00pm.

Print Source: Sacre Bleu Productions, Alice Gallouin, colia.sacrebleu@gmail.com