2013 AVANT-GARDE MASTERS GRANTS AWARDED
Joseph Cornell Discovery Among 16 Films Slated for Preservation
Contact: Jeff Lambert (415-392-7294, lambert@filmpreservation.org)
San Francisco, CA (July 18, 2013)—A mysterious Joseph Cornell film, discovered in a box left by the artist, and landmark experimental works by four other filmmakers will be saved through the 2013 Avant-Garde Masters Grants awarded by The Film Foundation and the National Film Preservation Foundation. All told, 16 films will be preserved and made available through the 2013 grants.
"Cornell's mastery at linking seemingly disparate imagery, from cutting together found footage in his films to juxtaposing cast off objects in his well-known box constructions, is vividly on display here," said Jodi Hauptman, author of Joseph Cornell: Stargazing in Cinema and Curator, MoMA Department of Drawing and Prints. “Thanks to this Avant-Garde Masters grant from The Film Foundation and the NFPF, MoMA will be able to preserve this fascinating discovery and share it with the public.”
Also green-lighted for preservation are Analytical Studies Part III: Color Frame Passages (1973–1974) and Analytical Studies Part IV: Blank Color Frames by Paul Sharits (Anthology Film Archives); Green (1988) by Luther Price (Bard College); Burma Road (1977) and 1970 Gay Pride Parade (1991) by Marguerite Paris (Mix NYC); and ten films by Tom Chomont (UCLA Film & Television Archive).
Now in its eleventh year, the Avant-Garde Masters Grants is the pioneering program funded by The Film Foundation and managed by the NFPF that saves films significant to the development of the avant-garde in America. The grants have preserved works by 53 artists, including Kenneth Anger, Samuel Beckett, Shirley Clarke, Bruce Conner, Oskar Fischinger, Hollis Frampton, Ernie Gehr, George and Mike Kuchar, and Carolee Schneemann. The full roster of projects is available on the NFPF Web site, www.filmpreservation.org.
The National Film Preservation Foundation is the nonprofit organization created by the U.S. Congress to help save America’s film heritage. Founded in 1996, the NFPF has supported film preservation in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia and has helped save more than 2,000 films and collections. The NFPF is the charitable affiliate of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress.
Created in 1990 by Martin Scorsese, The Film Foundation is dedicated to protecting and preserving motion picture history. By working in partnership with the leading archives and studios, the foundation has saved nearly 600 films. In addition to the preservation, restoration, and presentation of classic cinema, the foundation teaches young people about film language and history through The Story of Movies, the organization's groundbreaking educational program that is currently used in over 100,000 classrooms. Joining Scorsese on the board of directors are Woody Allen, Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Curtis Hanson, Peter Jackson, Ang Lee, George Lucas, Alexander Payne, Robert Redford, and Steven Spielberg. The Film Foundation is aligned with the Directors Guild of America.
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