Canadian filmmaker Michael Snow has remained one of the most important avant-garde artists working in film since his 1966 Wavelength (see March 8). Tonight's program offers a rare opportunity to hear Michael Snow discuss his work and to experience another aspect of his art in a musical concert with Henry Kaiser.

Presents
“The title suggests a three-way pun, however the most meaningful reading is the one which suggests a series of preserved moments in time. Presents is also an exercise in self criticism in that it puns and parodies two earlier films, (1968) and La Region Centrale (1970), both of which utilize the camera pan as a primary strategy.
“Presents consists of two parts, the first of which seems to be a remake of using actors and set. The camera seems to pan back and forth; before long, however, we realize that the camera is stationary and the set is actually moving. This section ends hilariously as actors have difficulty keeping balance and the set is shaken into chaos. Finally the camera dollies forward, crushing the whole set, effectively parodying Snow's film, Breakfast (1972).
“The second half consists of a series of pans and sweeps, each cut punctuated by a drum beat on the soundtrack. Again an obvious punning on La Region Centrale, however what is most interesting here is that each shot is handheld. For the first time since his earliest films we get a rich sampling of Snow's elegant camera eye exploring a wide range of urban and natural settings.
“On a formal level the film can be seen as a treatise on the camera pan. The drumbeat serves as punctuation, isolating each shot or ‘present' and effectively eliminating the possibility of any narrative above the material or structural level.” --Carmen Vigil