Triste. 1978–96. USA. Directed by Nathaniel Dorsky. 16mm. 18 min. Courtesy of Pacific Film Archive.
“By delicately shifting the weight and solidity of the images, and bringing together subject matter not ordinarily associated, a deeper sense of impermanence and mystery can open. The images are as much pure-energy objects as representation of verbal understanding and the screen itself is transformed into a “speaking” character” (Nathaniel Dorsky).
Marginalia. 2016. USA. Directed by Jerome Hiler. 16mm. 23 min.
“In Marginalia, the scratches present the gesture of a hand and wrist-applied cursive writing. It’s how marginalia appear at the borders of text pages. I imagine a time when a power failure makes it impossible to write. The use of the hands gains importance. Scratches and old penmanship appear. A father teaches his sons some old ways” (Jerome Hiler).
April. 2012. USA. Directed by Nathaniel Dorsky. 16mm. 26 min. Courtesy of Pacific Film Archive.
“Following a period of trauma and grief, the world around me once again declared itself in the form of one of the loveliest springs I can ever remember in San Francisco. April is intended as a companion piece for August and After, and is partly funded by a gift from Carla Liss” (Nathaniel Dorsky).
Careless Passage. 2024. USA. Directed by Jerome Hiler. 16mm. 20 min.
“Now that I’m in motion again, I look forward to the passage from this life to future wanderings in unknown places. My film alludes to and appreciates the encounters that flow without ceasing as we move through our personal version of reality” (Jerome Hiler).
Total running time: 87 min.
Whether progressing from shot to shot or through well-delimitated sequences, “polyvalent montage” sparks soaringly dense films, where the spectator’s attunement to the immediate presence of each image and cut both fuels and hampers their conscious apprehension of the overall flow. In Triste, which draws footage from two decades and took three years to edit, Nathaniel Dorsky conceived of a haltless continuum where each image is a single chord that would distinctly resonate with all others around it. This polymorphous mosaic contrasts and relates with Marginalia, Jerome Hiler’s exploration of a dusking calligraphic and gestural culture. In April, Dorsky seductively portrays urban spring and its dwellers, blossoming glass planes and alienated human figures who seem to communicate from a distance. The program concludes with the world premiere of Hiler’s latest film, Careless Passage, where a city of detritus and colored gold opens a new view around every corner.