Join us at the January screening for Mills Folly Microcinema, the monthly showcase of experimental film and video presented by Arts + Literature Laboratory. Special location: Madison Public Library Central Branch, 201 West Mifflin Street, Room 302.
Mills Folly Microcinema will present the latest edition of Project Projection on Thursday, January 23 at 7:00 p.m. Admission is free.
Project Projection screenings showcase local film and video shorts in the following categories: Experimental, Documentary, Music Video, and Animation.
While we wait for ALL's new facilities to open in Spring 2020, Mills Folly Microcinema will present a special screening at the Central Branch of the Madison Public Library.
Join us at 6:00 p.m. before the screening in the GRÆN R∞M, an installation by the Solarpunk Surf Club in the third floor hallway right outside the screening room. Meet the filmmakers, and learn about the Library's Media Lab.
Special thanks to Sean Ottosen and the staff at Madison Public Library for their assistance for this special event.
Screening order will be provided in the program notes on Thursday night. Program running time approximately 70 minutes.
State Street | Christian Cuevas | 9:20
A freeform documentary chronicling a Thursday night walk down State Street in Madison, Wisconsin.
About Christian Cuevas: I have directed and/or DP'ed a wide range of projects, from music videos and short films to corporate promos and professional interviews. Regardless of the project, my method is to try and capture the real essence of whoever is in front of the camera. I am interested in the contrasts and contradictions that exist within people, and the beauty of wandering through life without knowing what will happen next.
The Secret Wave Presents: Hi-Rez | Levi Sanders | 4:00
Short interview with Hi-Rez, an upcoming hip hop artist. We discussed his struggles, daily life of a star, and what effects his music style.
About Levi Sanders: I have producing music videos and short interviews for over three years. I work with a lot of upcoming artists, and really enjoy helping them gain exposure.
Ueita | Andrea Oranday | 10:10
A matriarch and her recipes are hazily remembered.
About Andrea Oranday: I believe film captures memory and nostalgia exceptionally well. As such, this is where my creative investments lie.
Grand Yoke | Nicholas Wootton and Will Fry | 10:00
Inspired by a mutual dislike of another experimental film they viewed together, Nicholas R Wootton and Will Fry came up with the idea for Grand Yoke. Wootton developed the images, Fry the sound, and together they developed an experience of how we consume art.
About the filmmakers: Nicholas R Wootton has been making films in the Madison area since 2009. His 2014 dark comedy Just God screened at the Green Bay and Wildwood film festivals. His 2016 documentary Real... Live... screened at Green Bay and the Wisconsin Film Festival. Grand Yoke, made in collaboration with his friend Will Fry, is his first experimental film.
A Long Winter at the World's Center | Anders Nienstaedt | 6:23
Over the course of a winter in Marquette, Michigan, I began to use a camera to record moments of quotidian strangeness. This short documentary is not only an exploration of place, but an exploration of winter as an idea, a condition, and a state of mind.
About Anders Nienstaedt: Anders is an artist, writer, and filmmaker. Currently, he's a student in the MFA visual art program at the University of Wisconsin.
Basic Economy | Casey Long | 4:29 (work-in-progress)
Seats squeeze knees. Eyes to the skies.
About the filmmaker: Casey Long is a filmmaker and a film scholar pursuing her PhD the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin--Madison.
Films from the Odyssey Filmmaking Workshop
The following short films were produced during the Odyssey Filmmaking Workshop, taught by Hamidreza Nassiri in 2019.
“Claiming the Media Back” filmmaking workshops have brought together talented people from Madison’s underrepresented communities so they would tell their amazing stories without any mediating voice. Using cellphones as cameras, these workshops break the made-up barriers for filmmaking. At a time that theaters are filled with repetitive stories, we need to claim the media back by bringing these powerful, diverse, important, and rich voices to the field; voices that have been ignored for too long.
These workshops were supported by the Humanities Exchange (HEX) Award given by the UW-Madison’s Center for Humanities and were possible due to the collaboration of Madison Public Library and UW Odyssey Project. 7 out of 8 films in this screening were made by the Odyssey alumni. Huge thanks to Kristen Johnson-Salazar (my assistant in workshops), Aaron Fai, Kevin Mullen, Trent Miller, Ching Wong, and Jane Jorgenson for making this possible.
These workshops will continue at the Public Library and Arts & Literature Laboratory, so stay tuned if you’re interested!
Note to Younger Self | Lakoye Buford | 3:54
Dream | Ricardo Marroquin | 2:33
My film is centered in the importance of dreaming. I decided to focus this idea into my film because everybody has dreams that either they have accomplished or chasing after. For me, dreams are the best motivation and reminders that dreams do come true.
Fresh Off the Boat | AhBao Thao | 6:16
Fresh Off The Boat is a very symbolic reality short film. Most of the time starting up a new life anywhere in the world including The Land Of the Free can be an extremely brutal experience. Not just immigrants but a Americans themselves are struggling to make a living.
La tierra nacio libre | Marisol Gonzalez Rodriguez | 2:40
I did this video to raise awareness of the struggles that immigrants like me go through every day in USA. Also to reflect on the barriers that we as society put in people's lives; by making borders, creating a capitalist system that only benefit the 1% of the population in the whole world, and by harassing and taking advantage of the people that born in economic disadvantage.
Milan's Video | Milan Shrestha | 2:04
Sometimes people believe what they see. They make assumption in their head. Things can be different in real life.
The Mischief | Mai Neng Thao | 1:01
This piece of work was inspired through the imagination of Milan. It was so much fun bringing it to life from drafting a storyboard all the way to its final editing touches. Enjoy my first directed film and remember that imagination is limitless!
The Simple Things | Char Braxton | 4:14
The simple things in life are places of treasured memories!
Treasure What You Already Have | Milli Lau | 2:40
Treasure the time you have to enjoy life with your family. Don’t allow the busyness of life to leave you with regrets.
ABOUT MILLS FOLLY MICROCINEMA
Mills Folly Microcinema showcases nationally recognized experimental film and video art work from the festival and microcinema circuit. We network with regional filmmakers and organizations to bring filmmakers and guest programmers to Madison for screenings. And we incubate local experimental filmmaking by providing screen time at at Project Projection events.
Mills Folly Microcinema is funded in part by grants from Dane Arts and the Madison Arts Commission, with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board.
