Free Radicals: A History of Experimental Film

With director Pip Chodorov Q&A

Trailer Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrsGVmuo6R0

Director: Pip Chodorov
Screenwriters: Lucy Allwood, Pip Chodorov
Cinematographers: Pip Chodorov, Nicolas Rideau
Composers: Black Lake, Slink Moss
Editors: Jackie Raynal, Nicolas Sarkissian
Cast: Stan Brakhage, Robert Breer, Ken Jacobs, Peter Kubelka, Jonas Mekas
Running Time: 82 minutes

Experimental filmmaker and advocate Pip Chodorov offers this personal take on the genealogy of 20th-century avant-garde film, through its leading figures. Many of the luminaries who appear in the film, including Robert Breer, Michael Snow, Ken Jacobs and Peter Kubelka, have been family friends of Chodorov’s since childhood. We see them in conversation with Chodorov and in archival footage, and through clips from their films. Stan Brakhage’s final recorded interview is here, followed by an excerpt from his magnificent Dante Quartet.

The film shows how avant-garde filmmakers were often left adrift, not accepted by the art world or the commercial film industry. Jonas Mekas (like Chodorov himself, founder of the video company Re-Voir) was one of the enterprising artist/impresarios who started organizations to help struggling filmmakers get their work seen and preserved.

The personal tales of the filmmakers (such as Ken Jacobs’ memories of dumpster diving), and Chodorov’s exploration of the immigrant backgrounds of artists like Mekas, give a strong sense of the sociohistorical and artistic context of classic avant-garde films.

Remarkably, Chodorov includes several short films in their entirety, including Len Lye’s Free Radicals, after which this film is named, and Recreation by the great animator/sculptor Robert Breer, who passed away this year. The filmmaker confesses, “We’ve only seen a small part of the story,” and weighted the story heavily toward the New York male filmmakers who inspired him at a young age. The avowedly personal take is honest and illuminating, and an excellent entry point into this important artistic tradition.

Note: Q&A discussion between filmmakers and audience adds approximately 30 minutes to running time.