U.S. THEATRICAL PREMIERE RUN!
Brigitte Cornand’s new film
THE RED BIRDS / LES OISEAUX ROUGES
April 21 – 27, 2010
32 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10003
http://www.anthologyfilmarchives.org
Opens Wednesday, April 21, and runs through Tuesday, April 27 at 7:30 & 9:15 nightly.
Additional screenings on Saturday and Sunday at 5:45.
Anthology Film Archives presents artist and filmmaker Brigitte Cornand’s new film THE RED BIRDS, a portrait of her female artist friends in which each artist has been paired with a particular species of bird.
With, in the order of their appearance:
Louise Bourgeois – Cardinal; Kiki Smith – Dove; Genevieve Cadieux – Blue Jay; Annette Messager – House Sparrow; Carolee Schneemann – Robin; June Leaf – Song Sparrow; Nicola L – Blackbird; Pat Steir – Mallard; Nancy Holt – Catbird; Mary Miss – Towhee; Gloria Friedmann – Swallow; Joan Jonas – White Throated Sparrow; Gwenn Thomas – Chickadee; Martha Rosler – Wood Pigeon.
“I’ve been looking at and filming birds obsessively and with great passion for a number of years. Since I’ve lived in New York, I’ve been dazzled by the splendid species I see during my visits in Central Park, as well as on the island of Martha’s Vineyard off the coast of Massachusetts – the magnificent cardinal being the foremost example. Thus, the title of my new film: THE RED BIRDS (which has inspired Louise Bourgeois to create a work on paper specifically for the film).
“This new work is a very personal portrayal of the relationships I’ve developed with my female artist friends, whom I imagined had one day ‘magically’ transformed themselves into birds. It is a vehicle for a direct expression of who these artists are and is primarily based on their voices. The issue I set out to explore when I began the project was how best to present these artists whose work and lives I’ve documented in film and audio for a number of years, in order to introduce their work and their universe in an engaging manner, regardless of their age or the generation they belong to.
“Initially, the ‘working title’ I used for the project was ‘My Beautiful Women’, since all the artists featured in the film have become friends whom I love and respect. And since I had in mind one day to make a film solely with and about animals, I combined the two projects into one. Thus the birds would have equal billing with the beautiful women, each artist lending her voice to a bird that I had selected specifically for her.
“Like an artist, a bird represents a symbol of freedom, independence, and beauty – ever elusive, birds are essentially flights of fancy for us humans, providing us with the ultimate metaphor for what an artist is and does. I tried to compose my film as a tapestry wherein imagery of flowers and birds abound, and where the human (female) activity never loses its vibrancy.” –B.C.
About Anthology Film Archives: Founded in 1970, Anthology’s mission is to preserve, exhibit, and promote public and scholarly understanding of independent, classic, and avant-garde cinema. Anthology screens more than 900 film and video programs per year, publishes books and catalogs annually, and has preserved more than 800 films to date.
Directions: 32 Second Avenue (at 2nd St.) Subway: F or V to 2nd Ave; 6 to Bleecker.
Image above:
THE RED BIRDS
Brigitte Cornand, 2009
75 minutes, video
© Les Films du Siamois/Centre Pompidou, 2009