REMINDER: Saturday October 15th Shooting Wall Release Party

This is a reminder to everyone that our release party is happening tomorrow night (Saturday October 15th) at 6pm. This is going to be the film event of the year.



Oct 15th 6pm-8pm
Broad Street Ministry 315 S Broad St.

We will be releasing onto the world the epic 3rd issue of our cinema zine containing many unique pieces of film theory and criticism. Then, we'll screen our first omnibus film, This is Shooting Wall, in which 6 local filmmakers made short films inspired by the theme of 'Sacco and Vanzetti.' This event will be attended by some of the most mobilized members of Philly's film and art community.

Admission and light refreshments will be FREE.

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TOUT VA BIEN TONIGHT AT CITY HALL (POST-SCRIPT)

Here is a link to some more photos of the event. We successfully played a film that suggested that it is "more complicated" than we think to just occupy a place, work with the mainstream left, to be a woman worker, etc., right onto City Hall in a constructively critical fashion. Quite possibly the real way this film was supposed to be projected and seen. The film also, in terms of aesthetics, directly connected to the visuals going on at Occupy Philly. The banner you can see below in the flier existed also at City Hall. And our post-film discussion eluded to the film, but also interestingly broke out into wider Occupy Philly strategy, which was our intention with the film. We should be doing this every Tuesday at 9pm at the same spot, would appreciate to see some new faces to discuss the films and grow as revolutionary people through the power of the cinema.

Just to portray a unique moment before we played the film here. It was sometime after it was time to talk at their general assembly, but we were taking over the PA system that had the earlier assembly's mic to play Tout Va Bien. We then decided, after hearing what wanted to be said over the PA, to let them speak before we played the film. Two passionate speakers than went on for several minutes each in tirades against some new revelations from City Hall via a letter they just received in which they called for demands. A large crowd, some surely there prior to see the film, others running over to hear what the dissent from the mic was about, crowded around the speakers, and next to them a projector throwing a 60 foot paused Tout Va Bien on City Hall. The second and last speaker, a Cindy Milstein, ended her speech few minutes of political oration with "...and if they want to give us demands, we'll give them demands! And now a very important film about people taking power for themselves!" And as she walked off stage, we pressed play, and gave us one of the best introductions ever. 

To keep up with future stuff we'll do a City Hall and all our events which are the same as what we did last night, you can join our FB group, which is the best way to keep up with our events and get involved with our collective or you can bookmark our eventbrite page.

ORIGINAL POST 

Although Shooting Wall is not a political outfit, we believe in the creation of community and the liberation of art/film art. Currently we live in a time that doesn't foster the creation of either. We also just really love left radical cinema, even if some of us in our ranks are not politically active or are not left wing. That said, there is no better group in this city to play some revolutionary films. 

Going to be projecting around 9pm onto the front of City Hall on the 15th & Market side.

ACTIONS FOR OCTOBER

As a DIY collective we never charge for events and prefer to work with people that do the same (if they work with film and they primarily work with digital materials) from the standpoint of trying to be the most tactically viable in bringing the best film-that was made and will be made-to as many people as possible, especially in an age of video uploading, torrenting, etc.

Our system of doing things is getting ever more fine tuned, the next couple months then are going to be pretty big for us and the
film community in this city. 

RELEASE PARTY

The main thing we want to push is our Release Party Oct 15th 6pm-8pm @ Broad St Ministry (Eventbrite + Facebook). We're going to network with some of the mobilized filmmakers, art theorists, and those who want to be apart of an film/arts community over food and drink. During this we're going to drop the 3rd issue of the theoretical organ of our collective, our zine. After we will play our first omnibus film This Is Shooting Wall, in which 6 local filmmakers (a majority SW members) all made short films based on the theme of 'Sacco And Vanzetti.' Should be a unique night in the annals of film history. 

PODCAST

We're hard at work on our 2nd podcast and this time we got someone audio-based to design/edit it. It will be released the day of the release party and will have audio from our last Show & Tell event, an interview with Doug Sakmann about the demise of the 941 micro cinema, and a very unique interview with local filmmaker Dante Aleman (and you can see his month of amazing October events him and his wife organizes here).

Subscribe to the podcast.

ZINE READING

Shooting Wall will be apart of a Zine Reading at the Wooden Shoe. We will preview some selections from our 3rd issue a day before it is released. Come out to support underground activities. 

PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL

As a collective we'll be descending onto the film festival October 20th-November 2nd like a critical menace with the aim of understanding the mainstream festival. Shortly on this blog and also at our release party we'll announce a list of a few films we think you should check out at the festival. During the festival expect almost daily posts on this blog. Then after the festival we'll have a wrap-up podcast.

 

REVOLUTIONARY FILMS 

AT OCCUPY PHILLY

Shooting Wall is a non-political outfit, but the aims of the Occupy movement fit into ours of a liberated commons. In our case, we believe in the liberation of art, especially film art. So to bring political discussion to the revolutionaries at Occupy Philly we'll be creating an outdoors micro-cinema and we'll be showing weekly to bi-weekly night screenings of revolutionary films. 

  

ACTION FOR NOVEMBER

Now this is just October, we have already announced two events for November, but a 3rd will be announced at the release party. You can check out all our events here and you really should join our Facespace group if you read this blog, there we announce events, discuss things we should do, and you connect with local filmmakers and cinephiles to get help with projects and things.

DVD Recommendations

DVDs:

Mala Noche (1986) by Gus van Sant - Gus van Sant's first feature is a little seen gem and early precursor to both the indepdendent films movement and the queer film movement of the 1990s. Not as wildly audacious as Drugstore Cowboy or My Own Private Idaho and not as formally rigid as Elephant or Last Days, but Mala Noche is an excellent low budget first feature from one of the most consistently interesting American filmmakers. Criterion released an excellent edition of this film on DVD. Available from Netflix and Facets.

Written on the Wind (1956) by Douglas Sirk - I don't know if people still watch Douglas Sirk films, but if they don't, they should, and this is one of his best works and a great introduction to the gaudy, soap opera melodramas Sirk became known for in the 1950s. Sirk was a master of mise en scene and managed to elevate the most melodramatic scripts to art and has remained an important influence for filmmakers as diverse as Kenneth Anger and Todd Haynes. Available on DVD from Netflix and Facets.

The Captive (2000) by Chantal Akerman - One of Chantal Akerman's more recent features is also a haunting, minimal, and beautiful film. This films proves Akerman still knows how to make interesting and daring cinema. Highly recommended. Available on DVD on Netflix and Facets.

Old Joy (2006) by Kelly Reichardt - If anyone missed Kelly Reichardt's subtle and lovely Old Joy a few years ago, I highly recommend checking this one out. This was her return (of sorts) to mainstream filmmaking and the limelight and from this film onward she has been making masterpieces. Available on DVD on Netflix and Facets.

Region Pick of the Week:

Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (1994) by Aki Kaurismaki - One of Aki Kaurismaki's short, small, black and white films, Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana is pure Kaurismaki: deadpan, ironic, funny, hip, and filled with rock and roll. This and most of Kaurismaki's film are available in Region 2 DVD which can be rented from Facets.

Free Movie of the Week:

Gasman (1997) by Lynne Ramsay - A short film by Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay made two years before he excellent first feature Ratcatcher. The 15 minute film can been seen on YouTube.

Download of the Week:

Death by Hanging (1968) by Nagisa Oshima - Oshima's most Bretchian and most formally inventive and absurd film, Death by Hanging is a masterpiece of 1960s political and art house cinema and one Oshima's best films. You can download from Pirate Bay.

RELEASE PARTY

Oct 15th 6pm-8pm 

Broad Street Ministry 315 S Broad St.

We will be releasing onto the world the epic 3rd issue of our cinema zine containing many unique pieces of film theory and criticism. Then, we'll screen our first omnibus film, This is Shooting Wall, in which 6 local filmmakers made short films inspired by the theme of 'Sacco and Vanzetti.' This event will be attended by some of the most mobilized members of Philly's film and art community. 

Admission and light refreshments will be FREE. 

Facebook
Eventbrite