The other day, the publisher was bemoaning the dearth of writing about short film when over the transom came an invitation to the new Storefront for Art and Architecture exhibit in NYC. It was very relevant; here’s the notice:
STOREFRONT FOR ART AND ARCHITECTURE is honored to present
CLIP / STAMP / FOLD----THE RADICAL ARCHITECTURE OF LITTLE MAGAZINES, 196x - 197x; November 14, 2006 - January 31, 2007; Opening reception: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at 6.30 to 8.30pm
In recent years, there has been resurgence of international interest in the architecture of the 1960s and 1970s. Yet the role of the many experimental publications that were the engine of that intensely creative period has been largely neglected. The exhibition . . . tracks the critical function of the little magazine in architecture during these years, when a remarkable outburst of publications disseminated and catalyzed a range of experimental practices.
It led to an office discussion that included the following: where is the best film lit. right now? Where is the lit. that is pushing the field? Do filmmakers even read that much? There weren’t many good answers, but it seems clear that short film is not getting much attention. (Though we have to point out the good things printed in Film International recently.)
Some good writers—whether they’re practicing filmmakers or not—would be useful in pushing the film world forward. The field of architecture provides a good analogy, since it, too, straddles the terrain of art and application (or art/commerce or form/resources). During the slow building years of the 70s, many of today’s big names like Libeskind and Eisenman were academics doing all of their work on paper.
Anyway, this was all on the publisher’s mind when he happened to sit next to Steve Bognar (JSF, Vol.1) on Friday night at a Wexner Center event . Steve reminded him of Reverse Shot, the online quarterly that has been putting out good writing for a while now. So, we’ll all get reacquainted with their work and keep looking for more. If you have any favorite sources, drop us a line.
In the meantime, we’ll make the comparison again: no one ignores short stories and their literary importance. And until short film receives its due attention, the film world will be the weaker for it.
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