WE ARE CINEMA 50 Years of the Film-Makers’ Coop

February 11 – March 5 Opening Reception: Saturday 2/11, 7-9pm Preceded by special 5PM screening of rare short films by Jack Smith   Artists in the exhibition include: Katherine Bauer, Bill Brand, Robert Breer, Rudy Burckhardt, Donna Cameron, Abigail Child, Martha Colburn, Peter Cramer, Bradley Eros, Su Friedrich, Ken Jacobs, Sabrina Gschwandtner, Anne Hanavan, Takahiko Iimura, Jeanne Liotta, Jonas Mekas, Julie Murray, Jennifer Reeves, Barbara Rubin, Lynne Sachs, Carolee Schneemann, Joel Schlemowitz, MM Serra, Jack Smith, Smith and Lowles, Mark Street, Jack Waters.

We are Cinema is a month-long exhibit and screening series celebrating 50 years of the Film-Makers’ Co-op in NYC. The exhibit features paintings, drawings, prints, light boxes, and other artworks from the group’s earliest to most recent members. Additionally, rare early documents, posters, catalogues, archival materials and historical sound recordings will also be on exhibit. Events start on Saturday February 11, at 5PM – just prior to the official exhibition opening – with the first screening of restored, fresh-from-the-lab 16mm prints of rare short works by legendary filmmaker/artist Jack Smith (Respectable Creatures, Song for Rent, Hot Air Specialists, Overstimulated, Scotch Tape, and Yellow Sequence), all new editions to the Co-op’s distribution. Original founding director Jonas Mekas and current director MM Serra will introduce the works. The four-part screening series continues with unique programs by Ken Jacobs (2/18), Jonas Mekas (2/25), and a group show of recent editions to the Co-op’s collection (3/4). Seating is limited. Please RSVP to [email protected]   It was in January of 1962 that filmmaker Jonas Mekas called an urgent meeting of about 20 avant-garde/independent filmmakers including Stan Vanderbeek, Rudy Burckhardt, Jack Smith, Ken Jacobs, and Gregory Markopoulos to discuss taking the means of exhibition and distribution into their own hands. Within months the Film-Makers’ Co-op was born. Under the stewardship of filmmaker MM Serra since 1991, the organization is now the oldest and largest artist-run cooperative in the world and membership continues to be open to anyone with a film or video work. The Film-Makers’ Co-op continues to operate as a vibrant archive and distributor, housing more than 5,000 films and videos by over 900 artists. It is now located at 475 Park Ave South in Manhattan.

More info at: www.microscopegallery.com or  www.film-makerscoop.com