2D - Tuesday, September 8, 2009
The Michigan Daily - michigandait cm
2D - Tuesday, September 8, 2009 The Michiaan Daily - michiaandailv.com
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A2 Film Festival: Projecting the future of film.
ByANDREW LAPIN
DailyFilm Editor
MARCH 19TH, 2009 -
"Welcome to the new world of
independent cinema," proclaims
the tagline for the 47th annual
Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF).
The choice of words seems odd,
because AAFF has been screening
the cutting edge of experimental
film since the festival's concep-
tion in 1963, smack in the middle
of pivotal decade for independent
films in America. The festival's
website bills the annual event as
"the longest-running film festi-
val of its kind in North America."
Maybe today's filmgoers are being
welcomed into this new world of
cinema, but the AAFF settled into
the frontier long ago.
Perhaps that's what makes this
year's theme, a journey into unex-
plained territories, so profound.
In 2006, a censorship controversy
over a handful of submissions
jeopardized the festival's state
funding until a successful joint
lawsuit filed by the AAFF and the
Michigan chapter of the American
Civil Liberties Union successfully
got the charges dismissed.
Now, with that storm fading in
the rearview mirror, it's time for
filmmakers and festival directors
to keep looking ahead to see what
cinematic ground has yet to be
covered.
"We're trying to make (our pro-
gram) as accessible as possible
without sacrificing the artistic
quality - without watering down
our programming whatsoever,"
said Donald Harrison, executive
director of AAFF, at a press pre-
view on March 3. He added that
the idea of this year's program is to
make audiences feel as if they are
visiting a brand new place.
There were a record 2,650 sub-
missions to the festival this year (a
25-percent increase from last year),
which were whittled down to the
125 films screening in competition.
Combined with the numerous out-
of-competitionscreenings andspe-
cial events scheduled to take place
between March 24 and 29, even
the most knowledgeable connois-
seurs of independent and experi-
mental cinema are guaranteed to
plunge into uncharted territories
when they take a look at the pro-
grams offered by the AAFF.
One of the most anticipated
events at the festival will be the
appearance of Oscar-nominated
animator Don Hertzfeldt, known
for shooting all of his films using
antique 35mm cameras, will pres-
ent the regional premiere of his
latest short film "I am so proud
of you." The film is a sequel to his
previous effort, "everything will
be ok," which won the Short Film-
making Award at the 2007 Sun-
dance Film Festival.
Several programs at this year's
AAFF will explore the history
and origins of experimental film,
highlighting the fact that even the
festival itself is on its own journey
forward. Two separate retrospec-
tives of the late visionary direc-
tor Bruce Conner ("A Movie") will
also be screened, presenting a rare
opportunity to view the filmmak-
er's work.
Harrison is especially excited
about the Conner retrospectives,
which he billed as a "must-see
attraction." He noted that Con-
ner's work is "for anyone who cares
about art, about important, intel-
lectual artists, not just in terms of
film, but in terms of the last 50, 60
years of art."
Even though the majority of
Conner's work was produced
between the 1960s and '70s, Har-
rison assured viewers that "his
retrospective is going to be ... as
cutting-edge today as these films
were when he made them."
Conner often employed stock
film footage as part of his work, and
the idea of remix culture is anoth-
er major theme being played out
at the festival. Mark Hosler of the
band Negativland, which gained
notoriety in the early '90s when
Island Records sued it for sam-
pling large portions of U2 songs in
its work, will be on hand to show
a multimedia presentation called
"Adventures in Illegal Art," which
is about the band itself. Hosler will
also co-host a panel discussion on
the Fair Use law titled "Remixing
the Rules: Copyright & Fair Use."
In a demonstration of the inter-
connectedness of the film com-
munity, experimental filmmaker
Craig Baldwin, who made a docu-
mentary about Negativland called
"Sonic Outlaws" in 1995, will also
be at the panel discussion. During
the festival, Baldwin will screen
and promote his latest film "Mock
Up on Mu," a conspiracy thriller
that also uses liberal amounts of
pre-existing film strips.
Further contributing to the
treatise on copyright laws will be
"RiP: A Remix Manifesto," which
is billed as the first "open source"
full-length documentary. "RiP"
follows the struggles of remix art-
ists who continually face uphill
battles when tryingto create origi-
nal work out of pre-existing mate-
rial, and it features well-known
mash-up DJ Girl Talk (Greg Gillis).
The filmmakers posted a rough
cut of the movie on their web-
site and asked visitors to create
their own edits for it. These edits
were then integrated into the film
itself, engaging the audience on an
entirely unique level that demon-
strates the idea of filmmaking as a
constantly evolving process.
"RiP" is one of the few feature-
length films that will be screening
in competition. The majority of
the other competing features are
short films that will be grouped
together into themed showcases,
including a "Terra Firma" pro-
gram highlighting films with
See FILM FESTIVAL, page 7D
Art Fairs in Ann Arbor Lupe Fiasco fields Q&A
By BEN VANWAGONER
Daily Fine ArtsfEditor
JULY 13TH, 2008 -
This is not your grandmother's
art fair.
That's the message the Ann
Arbor Art Fairs want you to
believe, and truth be told, they're
right. The phrase
"art fair" may call Ann Arbor
to mind kitschy
wooden dolls or Art Fairs
intricately bent JuIy15-18,
wire sculptures 2009
- more an excuse Campuswide
to spend cash
on "summer
collectibles"than anythingelse. But
the Ann Arbor Art Fairs are more
than that. Perhaps, to differentiate,
we can take advantage of their
proper noun status and call them
just "the Fairs." They've earned it.
The Fairs are widely recognized
commercial exhibitions of some
of the finest art, both professional
and amateur, to be found in the
country. They will be filled to
overflowing with artists in every
medium imaginable: clay, jewelry,
printmaking, mixed media, wood,
glass, fibers, photography, drawing
and sculpture. Between the four
loosely collaborated fairs, there
will be more than 1,000 artists
sprawled practically everywhere
on campus. On Ingall's Mall, the
Ann Arbor Street Art Fair; on
State, East Liberty and Maynard,
the State Street Art Fair; on South
University, Ann Arbor's South
University Art Fair; and on State in
front of the Union, The Guild Ann
Arbor Summer Art Fair.
The artists themselves are only
the tip of the iceberg: The Fairs
are expected to draw upwards of
500,000 people over the course
of three days - that's more people,
three days ina row, than are in Ann
Arbor for football Saturdays. For
residents of Ann Arbor, it's a mixed
bag. It means great business, but
it also means unavoidable artistic
chaos for three long (long) days.
Streets so lately punctuated
almost solely by the treading of
the few remaining med school
and summer term students will
become on Wednesday the lively
playground of the imagination.
Our advice? Resist harboring the
cynicism of a local and let yourself
enjoy it. With staged music and
performances punctuating the
3-day fair in addition to the rich art
on display and sale, there should be
something of interest for just about
everyone. If all else fails, sell your
parking space and hunker down -
for these three days, art rules.
session on Michigan's Diag
Rapper talks gay
rights, hip hop and
Hillary Clinton on
steps of Grad
By KIMBERLY CHOU
Daily Arts Editor
JULY 29TH, 2007 -
Rapper Lupe Fiasco held court
on the Diag yesterday, answering
questions about politics, hip hop
and homophobia.
"I make really good hip-hop
music, Grammy-nominated hip-
hop music, GQ-Man-of-the-Year
hip-hop music," Fiasco said by way
of introduction. "The opportunity-
to-speak-to-y'all-in-the-Diag hip-
hop music."
Fiasco spit a few verses - old and
new material, with the crowd join-
ing in occasionally - but told the
400-or-so gathered that he wasn't
allowed to perform.
"I didn't know what to expect,"
said LSA sophomore Britney Rash-
leigh. "It's just good to see him, a
celebrity in Ann Arbor - an African-
American celebrity in Ann Arbor -
and for everyone tocome out."
At one point, a fan insisted on
freestyling for Fiasco. Fiasco let
the guy rap, though he joked, "You
tryingto take my shine, son." 4
But he then used him as an toc
example. He said he wanted to lis- cha
ten to the wannabe rapper, saying in t
that before current fame and for- ma;
tune, Fiasco was just like him. I
The event was sponsored by bau
Atlantic Records's Urban College groi
Network and the Michigan Chap- mo
ter of Hip Hop Congress. The hip- to p
hop star promoted his upcoming eve
album The Cool. dox
Fiasco, whose real name is
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, took ball
questions from the audience for wit
about half an hour. The questions Sch
were often pointed - not surprising a n
for an outspoken artist known for sity
the political content of his lyrics. for
A fan who proclaimed himself to N
be "an openly gay man who loves out
hip hop" asked the rapper where was
he fell in the spectrum of hip-hop Dia
artists who have expressed con- nin
trasting views on homosexuality Lu
and the gay community. sun
He pledged support for gays, con
among other groups, because he F
said he supports anyone who faces Mi
discrimination. assi
Another asked who Fiasco was que
goingto vote for in the 2008 presi- I
dential election. she
Fiasco said he doesn't believe in the
voting, but he wants Hillary Clin- ity.
ton to win.
I'm tired of men, ya'll," he said
heers, "I think that a woman in
rge of the most powerful nation
he world is going to empower so
sy women."
LSA senior Meagan Mirten-
m, co-president of a student
up promoting Arab-Jewish har-
ny, Bridge the Gap, asked Fiasco
erform and speak at a planned
nt next spring alongside Ortho-
Jewish rapper Matisyahu.
I think that was actually pretty
lsy to ask him to come perform
h Matisyahu," said Business
ool junior Sasha Compere,
member of Encore, a Univer-
y student dance group that per-
med at the event.
Mirtenbaum said she only found
on Sunday night that Fiasco
s going to be speaking on the
g but the group has been plan-
g a way to hold a Matisyahu/
pe Fiasco concert since early
nmer as part of a year of cross-
nmunity activities.
iasco eventually directed
rtenbaum's invitation to his
istants, but not without his own
stions first.
He joked about a price tag when
first asked him the question,
m asked her about her national-
See LUPE FIASCO, page 7D
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