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Dir. Alla Kovgan - 2019 - 93m

"Euphoric!  Sensational in every sense of the word" - Variety

CUNNINGHAM traces Merce Cunningham's artistic evolution over three decades of risk and discovery (1944–1972), from his early years as a struggling dancer in postwar New York to his emergence as one of the world’s most visionary choreographers.  A breathtaking explosion of dance, music, and never-before-seen archival material, CUNNINGHAM is a timely tribute to one of the world’s greatest modern dance artists.

"JARRINGLY BEAUTIFUL. 'CUNNINGHAM' SUCCEEDS IN A WAY THAT MOST DANCE DOCUMENTARIES DO NOT: AS AN ART OBJECT IN AND OF ITSELF." - MARINA HARSS, THE NEW YORKER

"A VISUAL WONDER. [DOES] JUSTICE TO MERCE CUNNINGHAM'S SPIRIT OF INVENTIVENESS." - KENNETH TURAN, LOS ANGELES TIMES

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Dir. Nikolaus Geyrhalter - 2019 - 115m - No Matinees

EARTH was filmed at seven locations that humans have transformed on a grand scale: Entire mountains being moved in California, a tunnel being sliced through rock at the Brenner Pass, an open-cast mine in Hungary, a marble quarry in Italy, a copper mine in Spain, the salt mine used to store radioactive waste in Wolfenbüttel and a tar sands landscape in Canada. Initially shown from above as abstract paintings, these terrains are subsequently explored on the ground: The film weaves together observational footage of machines in operation with conversations with the workers. Alongside statements on work processes, environmental damage and technological change, EARTH makes this constructed world visible in unique fashion by subtly paring it down: the piles of grey matter, hills and mountains. The blackness and the cracks. The sandy landscapes, criss-crossed by an array of mechanical devices that scuttle about like caterpillars or worms. The dimensions are gigantic, the proportions out of control; the world has slipped from humanity’s grasp. “There is always a bigger machine, a bigger engine and when all fails there is dynamite. We always win,” boast a quarry worker. Or do we?

"Aesthetically exhilarating and spectacular!” — Tony Pipolo, Artforum

FILM OF THE WEEK! "Spectacular, even awe-inspiring.” — Jonathan Romney, Film Comment

"Despite its apocalyptic visions, it feels curiously optimistic because Geyrhalter hasn’t given up on us.” — Manohla Dargis, New York Times

"A most timely film in the light of a looming Sixth Extinction brought on by capitalist 'development'." — Louis Proyect, Counterpunch.org

"Geyrhalter brings fresh eye to 7 big digs and conversational knack to diverse workers. Big machines are cool to watch until you are forced to think about the damage they do." — Nora Lee Mandel, Maven's Nest

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