SFCINEMATHEQUE

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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts





The San Francisco-based non-profit National Film Preservation Foundation was created in 1997 by the US Congress to facilitate the preservation of the nation’s film heritage. Through the administration of federally and privately funded programs, nearly 1,500 films of all genres have been preserved and made accessible to the public, including dozens of restorations funded by NFPF’s Avant-Garde Masters Grant. Without the NFPF and its extraordinary support of film preservation efforts by such institutions as the Academy Film Archives, Anthology Film Archives, the Museum of Modern Art and the Pacific Film Archive, countless films might be lost forever. In March 2009, NFPF will release the latest in its Treasures from American Film Archives DVD series – a two-disc, 312 minute Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde Film, 1947–1986. Tonight’s program, in recognition of the home video debut of twenty-six classics of American experimental filmmaking, includes screenings of several recently restored works included on this momentous set: Storm De Hirsch’s Peyote Queen, Ken Jacobs’ Little Stabs at Happiness, Marie Menken’s Go! Go! Go!, Pat O’Neill’s 7362, Ron Rice’s Chumlum, Paul Sharits’ Bad Burns and Andy Warhol’s Mario Banana (No. 1) . (Steve Polta & Jonathan Marlow)

Treasures IV will be available for sale at the screening. The net proceeds of these sales support further film preservation efforts.

Download program notes