TIRED OF NETFLIX? STREAM EXPERIMENTAL FILMS AND VIDEO ART

We reached out to artists, filmmakers, and Hyperallergic contributors to assemble a list of what we’ve been sharing on our networks, after finding inspiration in Kate Lain’s “Cabin Fever” playlist.

Dessane Lopez Cassell

From Mizu Shobai (Water Business)(1993), dir. Lana Lin (image courtesy the filmmaker)

About 10 days ago, multidisciplinary artist Kate Lain started a simple Google spreadsheet called “Cabin Fever” in the hopes of gathering links to experimental films she could send to her students once classes were moved online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Lain divided her “playlist” into sections, such as “For when you need to laugh or smile,” “For when you wanna sing & dance,” and even “For when you just want to scream or break something.” As she explained to Hyperallergic, these categories are “based on moods one might be experiencing while being cooped up.”

In less than two weeks, Lain’s spreadsheet has grown to include hundreds of experimental films and artists’ moving image works from around the world, complete with content warnings where appropriate and a password option for artists who prefer some layer of security.

Likewise, many artists and filmmakers have taken it upon themselves to remove passwords from their collections of work on Vimeo and elsewhere. From Beatriz Santiago Muñoz to Sky Hopinka to Alexandra Cuesta, it’s been heartening to me as a moving image curator to see a range of experimental filmmakers make their work publicly available. And while worrying in the long term, the fact that even some festivals have moved entirely online has offered a little glimmer of light at the end of a tunnel of bad TV, especially as many arthouse cinemas have closed for the immediate future.

In the spirit of “Cabin Fever” and cognizant of the fact that one can only watch so much Netflix in a given month, a few colleagues and I reached out to artists, filmmakers, and Hyperallergic contributors to assemble a list of what we’ve been sharing and encountering across our networks. Gathered here are both films recently made free and some older gems, just because.

While it’s thrilling to see such a robust selection of experimental films available with just an internet connection, it’s worth noting that there are many very good reasons some artists have elected not to put their work online. Like a lot of art, experimental films can be expensive to make, but unlike paintings and sculptures, time-based media is not much sought after by moneyed collectors. This means that screening opportunities or distribution deals offer some of the only ways these artists can be compensated for their labor. As a filmmaker whom I deeply respect recently reminded me, not every artist can afford to make their work freely available. The choice is personal.

All of this is to say that if you plan to do a deep dive into the links below or films found elsewhere, please consider donating directly to the artists. (This especially applies to artists with disabilities and chronic illnesses, who have long been making work while managing varying levels of confinement, limited mobility, and a historic lack of institutional support, well before our current moment of “social distancing.”) If you work for an institution or otherwise have a platform, consider inviting some of these artists for a paid screening in the future so they can share their work and earn a living. Because at the end of the day, no one should have to work for free.

https://hyperallergic.com/548978/tired-of-netflix-stream-experimental-films-and-video-art/