Counter Culture, Counter Cinema: An Avant-Garde Film Festival October 14, 2010

THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES,
PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER AND CHARLES S. COHEN PRESENT:

COUNTER CULTURE, COUNTER CINEMA
An Avant-Garde Film Festival
OCTOBER 14-16, 2010
Pacific Design Center, SilverScreen Theater

Jonas Mekas, Carolee Schneemann, and Ken Jacobs to Appear in Person
LOS ANGELES - The Museum Of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), with Pacific Design Center, and Charles S. Cohen present Counter Culture, Counter Cinema: An Avant-Garde Film Festival, a three-day celebration of films focusing on the long-term alliance between experimental cinema and counter-culture activity. The festival will be held at the SilverScreen Theater at the Pacific Design Center October 14 through October 16, 2010, and will cover the half-century from the early 1960s to the present, featuring films and videos that explore sexuality, politics, communal experiments, and transgressive appropriations. Co-curated by David E. James and MM Serra, the festival is comprised of films selected from the collection of the New American Cinema Group/New York’s Film-Makers’ Cooperative (http://www.film-makerscoop.com).

“This is an historic event that gives Los Angeles the opportunity to look back on the past 50 years of avant-garde cinema, “ says Charles S. Cohen, PDC President/Owner and a MOCA Trustee. “We’re honored to have some of the pioneers of the genre here in person to discuss their contribution to the art form.”

“Many of the films featured in this festival are an important part of the curriculum at the best art schools in this country,” said MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch. “For film lovers and filmmakers, this festival is an opportunity to be part of an event that brings so many of the iconoclasts of counter-culture cinema together in one place.”

“This event is a true celebration of the Film-Makers’ Cooperative,” said co-curator, David E. James. “It honors the importance of New York City in counter-culture cinema while recognizing Los Angeles’s revitalized role in the movement.”
MM Serra, executive director of the Film-Makers' Cooperative and co-curator of the event, considers the guest speakers a vital part of the program. “I have asked pioneer filmmakers Jonas Mekas, Ken Jacobs and Carolee Schneemann and a host of other filmmakers in the festival program to journey across the country with me for this historical East Coast-West Coast convergence of cinema innovation. Not only will attendees be inspired by the wonders of the alternative vision, but they can be a part of a rousing conversation with the leaders of the art form.”
Counter Culture, Counter Cinema will be held in the SilverScreen Theater at the Pacific Design Center at 8687 Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood. A cocktail reception in the SilverScreen Theater Lounge at 6:30 pm will open the event on October 14. The opening program, entitled Underground Classics, will begin at 7:30 pm will feature Flaming Creatures (Jack Smith, 1963), Lupe (Jose Rodriguez-Soltero, 1966) , and Fuses (Carolee Schneemann, 1964). The screening be followed by a panel discussion featuring David E. James, Jonas Mekas, Carolee Schneemann, and MM Serra.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 for MOCA Members. Festival passes are $45 for general admission and $40 for MOCA Members. Proceeds will benefit MOCA and The Film-Makers’ Cooperative. Visit www.moca.org to purchase tickets.

For more information and program details, please see the festival’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/counterculturecountercinema and www.facebook.com/MOCAlosangeles