FotoFest Films at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The FotoFest 2010
Biennial continued FotoFest’s long-term collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. In conjunction with FotoFest’s
2010 focus on Contemporary U.S. Photography, the MFAH presented films about two
masters of contemporary U.S. photography – Julius Shulman and Robert Frank. The
Southwest Alternate Media Project hosted an evening of films by Texas filmmakers.
Visual Acoustics
The Modernism of Julius Shulman
Directed by Eric Bricker
April 9 -11, 2010
Julius Shulman (1910—2009) was, as many experts agree, the world´s greatest architectural photographer. Visual Acoustics celebrates the life and career of this brilliant artist and highlights not only the iconic images that made the man, but the magnetic character behind those images. Shulman captured the work of virtually every modern architect since the 1930s; his work epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California´s modernist movement and ushered modern architecture into the American mainstream. This fascinating portrait is a testament both to the evolution of modern architecture and to the gentleman who captured its indelible images.
— Arthouse Films
This Houston premiere is cosponsored by Rice Design Alliance and the American Institute of Architects-Houston Chapter.
An American Journey
Directed by Philippe Séclier
April 15 -18, 2010
In contemporary photography, everybody agrees there is a "before" and an "after" The Americans, Robert Frank´s 1958 photographic manifesto. Fifty years later, French filmmaker Philippe Séclier follows Robert Frank´s footsteps, exploring the Beat Generation and the impact of The Americans, on the art of photography and American culture. An American Journey is a 15,000-mile odyssey through contemporary America, moving between past and present, photography and cinema, and two Americas, separated by time. — www.unvoyageamericain.com
Preceded by:
Fire in the East: A Portrait of Robert Frank
Directed by Philip Brookman and Amy Brookman
(USA, 1986, 28 min.)
This award-winning and rarely-screened documentary was coproduced by the MFAH and Houston PBS in 1986 for MFAH exhibition New York to Nova Scotia, curated by Anne Wilkes Tucker. Fire in the East presents an intimate view of four decades of Frank´s life and work. His extraordinary career is detailed in photographs, film excerpts, and interviews with many of his collaborators and contemporaries, including Emile de Antonio, Allen Ginsberg, June Leaf, Jonas Mekas, John Szarkowski, and Rudy Wurlitzer.
The American Dream 2010
Visions of 21st century life in the Americas, from north to south
FotoFest / SWAMP Short Films
Directed by Various
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Free Admission
The Southwest Alternate Media Project (SWAMP) held an open call for submissions of short films on the theme of The American Dream 2010: Visions of 21st century life in the Americas, from north to south, as inspired by FotoFest´s focus on contemporary U.S. photography. This screening featured a juried selection of those winning entries.