Presented in association the San Francisco Foundation
Issued bi-annually by Film Arts Foundation and the San Francisco Foundation, the James D. Phelan Award in Film and Video honors California-born artists “whose body of work is non-commercial in nature, has made a substantial contribution to the field, and merits recognition for its creativity and innovation.” Working in the proud traditions of West Coast funk, junk, projector performance, and optical printing, Alvarez’ films–screening will be Down on the Farm, Calling All Cars, La Reina, and the performative Night Soil with collaborative musical and image support by The Overdub Club members, Lucio Menagon, Suki O’Kane and Thad Povey–explode with color and sound, are dizzying and effervescent visual delights. With overlapping passions for amateur filmmaking and the organization of large-scale and participatory film/video spectacles, Melinda Stone’s work–including A Trip Down Market 1905/2005, and for a brief moment 1906; The Incredible Adventures of a Primitive Creature and others, including the latest installment of her How to Homestead series–investigates landscape and culture, while cultivating a charming and personal homegrown documentary aesthetic. (Steve Polta)