The Circuit

by Kim Voynar
The eclectic slate at the 46th Ann Arbor Film Festival included a diverse array of experimental short films, narrative films and documentaries.  The fest features more experimental film work than you're likely to find at any other fest on the circuit, with shorts in the narrative and documentary genres, animation, and a slew of works using celluloid as a canvas on which to explore unique meldings of sound, imagery and distortion.

Feature-length films included "Larry Flynt: The Right to Be Left Alone," followed by a Q&A with the Hustler publicist and director Joan Brooker-Marks, "Strange Culture," about artist-activist (and accused bioterrorist) Steve Kurtz, "One Bad Cat," a documentary about outsider artist Reverend Albert Wagner, famed cinematographer Ellen Kuras' documentary, "Nerakhoon: The Betrayal," and a Sunday afternoon screening of Guy Maddin's "Brand Upon the Brain!"

The fest also included two series curated by fest jurors Michelle Silva and Bill Brown and a special presentation by world-renowned independent animator Bill Plympton (pictured top) of his own work, which Plympton followed by making drawings for everyone in attendance who wanted one.

Nightly after parties in various Ann Arbor venues were well-attended by fest guests and attendees, and several smaller dinners for the jurors and special guests provided more intimate opportunities for lively discussions about the widely varied slate.

The Ann Arbor Film Fest was at the center of a maelstrom of a free speech controversy last year, with accusations of obscenity in its programming endangering the funding of the historic festival. A hard-fought battle with the Michigan legislature resulted in the state's arts funding being changed to reflect the wording used for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), and creative fundraising efforts kept the fest afloat.

The Ann Arbor Film Festival is unique on the fest circuit for its focus on experimental and cutting edge artists, and features short films at its forefront, rather than sidelining them as many fests do, making it a haven for independent artists seeking to both show their work and stimulate discussion around film as art. Thankfully, under the joint stewardship of Executive Director Christen McArdle and Director of Community and Development Donald Harrison, the fest has survived its funding and censorship battles, and will continue to provide filmmakers and audiences with one of the most unique slates on the festival circuit.