From Art House to "Microcinema"

A Night at the Movies: From Art house to "Microcinema", was the additional reading for last week's class which I found to be very compelling with regards to underground cinema. Like film festivals, underground cinema or "microcinema" has evolved over the years and has spread all around the world. The start of the "phenomenon" that is microcinema stemmed from the inspiring Paris cine-clubs or cafes in the 1920s. Soon the United States became increasingly interested in showing foreign films and documentaries in what was called, Art houses. People would come to these Art houses to experience cinema in new and exciting ways. Some of the films that would be screened at these venues had little to no budget to market their film which gave audiences a taste for raw underground cinema. It also gave these filmmakers a chance to have their film screened in front of an audience and receive feedback.

A quote from the reading that I found to be the most compelling was "I don't want to call it [DIY cinema] a revolution, but a renaissance, certainly..." Film as an art form should be explored--in fact, it needs to be explored; microcinema had just that in mind. I really enjoyed learning more about this phenomenon and how it came to be. It is so interesting how many people (and cinephiles) this renaissance of film immediately attracted when arthouses and microcinema venues first emerged onto the scene. I believe that the festival circuit should incorporate as much underground cinema as possible, especially smaller film festivals. Filmmakers shouldn't be afraid to fail at festivals because mistakes breed lessons which inevitably leads to lessons learned. I think this relates to Visions in the fact that we want filmmakers who take risks and are willing to transport audiences to new and exciting places through film. These filmmakers have a creative edge to offer the festival circuit. This renaissance of film is perfect for smaller festivals and should be a prominent factor, especially in student made films where experimentation is encouraged. There is no better place for DIY cinema than an Undergraduate film festival.