On the occasion of the New York opening of Gus Van Sant’s latest film, Gerry, the Department of Film and Media is delighted to revive its favorite films from this innovative filmmaker’s early repertoire. Van Sant’s antiestablishment career has mostly existed outside of Hollywood, his smaller-budgeted movies eschewing formalistic labeling and bearing his unmistakable personal signature. As a young filmmaker in Portland, he challenged audiences and critics from the outset of his cinematic endeavors, producing several semiautobiographical shorts—mostly on Super 8mm, now transferred to 35mm; quirky, dreamlike, and odd, they are precursors to his feature films.
Organized by Jytte Jensen, Associate Curator, Department of Film and Media. The Department thanks ThinkFilm, New York.