Available Online Friday, October 23
On Friday, October 23rd the Housatonic Museum of Art will present a triple bill of three fascinating short documentaries as part of their ongoing FREE Friday Night Flicks free online film series.
“The Original Richard McMahan” presents the work of artist Richard McMahan, who is on a quest to painstakingly re-create thousands of famous and not-so-famous paintings and artifacts in miniature. From well-loved Picasso and Frida Kahlo paintings to the more obscure, McMahan has mastered dozens of genres over 30 years and he’s made most of it on a cluttered kitchen counter using recycled materials. The film will be followed by Q&A with director Olympia Stone and the artist Richard McMahan.
“Little Fiel” is a stop motion animation/documentary loosely based on the life story of Mozambican artist Fiel dos Santos, who grew up during his country’s 16-year civil war. Fiel created eight figures representing his family from dismantled civil war guns. Three New York artists turned them into puppets and created immersive stop-motion animation, inspired by Fiel’s memories. The film will be followed by Q&A with Connecticut director Irina Patkanian.
The film “A Day With Barkley Hendricks” offers viewers the chance to hear a great artist, Barkley Hendricks, discuss his work, life and creativity, as a painter and photographer who revolutionized post-modern portraiture with his exceptional talent for capturing the essence of his subjects. The film will be followed by Q&A With Connecticut Director Paul Ewen Outsider.
The three films are part of an exceptional online, art-inspired film series presented by Housatonic Museum of Art and curated by the Connecticut Film Festival, and will go online at 7pm on Friday, October 23rd. Visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org for the film link.
Mark your calendar for the final two ‘Friday Night Flicks’ events, with all films going online from the Housatonic Museum’s website at 7pm. Upcoming films in the series include:
October 30: “The Light of Fire” and “8000 Paperclips.” In “The Light of Fire,” a fire destroys American-Israeli artist Yoram Raanan’s studio and forty years of his work. But when he begins painting again, startling images he's never painted before emerge, and he and his family begin to realize how different everything has become. 8000 Paperclips “8000 Paper Clips” explores the value of art, Israeli artist and TED Fellow, Raffael Lomas’s own history with depression and struggle, and what humans need – no matter their national status. It follows a group of extraordinary young people as they overcome adversity and build hope for their future – with the support of a team of people whose hearts they have touched.
November 6: ‘With Dad” followed by Q&A with director & photographer Stephen DiRado and the film, “Summer Spent.” The short nonfiction film “With Dad” documents the work of photographer Stephen DiRado, specifically during the period of his father’s mental decline and eventual death from Alzheimer’s Disease in 2009. The film includes interview footage of DiRado, high-resolution digital scans of DiRado's work and contemporaneous digital video footage. “Summer Spent” is a 40-minute documentary depicting DiRado's obsessive, work discipline and life connected to people on Martha's Vineyard for over 25 years.
Housatonic Museum of Art has welcomed more than 500,000 visitors to explore the exhibits and collection of almost 6,000 works that span the history of art from the ancient to the contemporary. As one of the premier college art collections in the United States, and the only museum in Bridgeport solely dedicated to visual arts, HMA’s permanent collection is on continuous display throughout the Housatonic Community College (HCC) campus, offering a rare opportunity for students, community members, art enthusiasts, and casual observers to view and interact with art on a daily basis. To learn more, visit www.HousatonicMuseum.org or call 203-332-5052.
The Connecticut Film Festival’s (CFF) mission is to excite, encourage, and teach, but most of all to connect audiences in ways that truly ignite creativity and imagination. CFF provides screenings statewide to tens of thousands of Connecticut’s citizens and tourists. Hosting films in multiple markets throughout the state creates an opportunity for a greater number of viewers to attend while also providing an excellent opportunity for the independent and international film industry to showcase to a large and diverse audience. CFF and its weekly event, FilmFest52, exhibits entertaining and thought-provoking visual stories with an independent point of view to inspire audiences to create change locally, globally, or in their personal lives.
Caption For Photo Right: Watch a free, triple bill art-inspired documentary series on Friday, October 23. Pictured here, works by Richard McMahan, as shown in the film, “The Original Richard McMahan.” www.HousatonicMuseum.org