Guy Maddin on the set of the Hauntings | 2010 | Toy Camera->Super 8mm->DV | 1:24

Synopsis

Guy Maddin conjuring the spirits of Cinema’s past to sculpt narratives out of light.

Artist Statement

In 2010, Guy Maddin invited a group of emerging filmmakers to participate in a collective filmmaking experiment. During the shooting Keyhole (2011) in Winnipeg, Manitoba, these filmmakers were invited to use all of the actors, props and sets that were on “standby,” creating a utopian Warhol-esque factory set-up. Following a visual manifesto prepared by Guy, these filmmakers were to embark on a filmmaking journey to produce a 130 “lost” films. While the project ultimately failed, in addition to violating every union rule in the book, none of the filmmakers involved will ever forget the experience.

During my time on set, I produce this homage to Guy, a number of production stills, and four experimental films including: Gleem (2010), a remake of a lost James Benning film from 1974; Rhythmus 25 (2010), a remake of a lost Hans Richter film from 1925; Walking from Sals to Tims, a contemporary re-imagining of Oskar Fischinger’s Munchen-Berlin Wanderung (1927); and The Flickerer (2010), a behind the scenes look at how Tony Conrad’s The Flicker (1966) was made.