On Sunday, November 16, guest curator and filmmaker Marc Moscato presents A Not Too Distant Past, a collection of short experimental and documentary films and videos examining Chicago’s radical history of the past 150 years. The program is open to the public and is part of Public Media Institute’s seventh annual Select Media Festival, in Chicago November 14-22.

A Not Too Distant Past presents a range of personal and political approaches, including historical documentary, “guerrilla television,” video art and more. While subjects range from the Haymarket affair, to late ‘60s radicalism, to today’s cultural resisters, the works share a DIY aesthetic and were all produced with limited budgets. Together, the program provides a view into the city’s underground and often under-acknowledge history, illuminating issues from Chicago’s past – many of which continue to be vital to the city today.

The screening will be introduced by Moscato. A brief Q & A will follow. After the screening, the collection will go on to screen in Madison, WI, Milwaukee, WI, Minneapolis, MN and Portland, OR.

-- ABOUT THE CURATOR

Marc Moscato is a filmmaker and curator living in Portland, OR. His short films and videos have screened at film festivals, theatres and non-traditional spaces across the country, including the New York Underground Film Festival, the Chicago Underground Film Festival and the Video Mundi Festival. He has over 10 years experience working in marketing and communications, and has worked for Museum of Contemporary Craft, City Club of Portland, Microcosm Publishing, Peripheral Produce, in addition to directing DIY arts center My House in Eugene, OR, 2001-2003.

-- ABOUT THE SELECT MEDIA FESTIVAL

The Select Media Festival is an annual festival featuring video programs, art exhibitions, installations, presentations and performance programs in conjunction with live music and action. Events are held the Co-Prosperity Sphere, an experimental cultural center in Bridgeport, and other venues across the city. The festival is produced by the non-profit arts organization, Public Media Institute, and is organized by artists, musicians and cultural workers based in Chicago.

A NOT TOO DISTANT PAST: FILM & VIDEO FROM UNDERGROUND CHICAGO
CURATED BY MARC MOSCATO | TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 70 MIN


Toxic Shock
Vanessa Renwick, 1983, 16mm, 3 min
Penetration up the wazoo, blood, fire, gas, needles, tampons, liquid power and cocktails of the burning sort. An experimental response to sweating out near death with Toxic Shock Syndrome.


Jean Genet in Chicago
Frédéric Moffet, 26 min, video, 2006
A queer rewriting of the events surrounding the 1968 National Democratic Convention in Chicago from the point of view of French writer Jean Genet. Along the way Genet will meet, amongst others, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, the Yippies, the Black Panther Party and the Chicago police force...Ultimately, the video is about the difficulty of aligning political and sexual desires.


Hay! Market Research
Dara Greenwald, 3 min, video, 2003
Hay! Market Research was a constructed market research and advertising group committed to assessing and advancing common knowledge surrounding the Haymarket Riots of 1886. A billboard’s message is changed every hour, raising questions about the history of the Haymarket riots and the history of the struggle for the eight-hour workday.

What the Fuck Are These Red Squares?
Kartemquin Films, 1970, 16mm, 15min
Striking students meet at a “Revolutionary Seminar” at the Art Institute of Chicago in response to the invasion of Cambodia and the killing of protesting students at Kent and Jackson State Universities. They explore their role as artists in a capitalist society and issue questions like: What are the implications of the artist’s elitist position in America? Is it possible not to be co-opted, as “radical” as one’s art may be? What are the connections between money and art in America? Between the “New York Scene” and the rest of the country?

Fred Hampton: Black Panthers in Chicago (excerpt)
The Videofreex, 1969, video, 10 min
The Videofreex, a video collective and pirate TV station from upstate New York, traveled to Chicago in 1969 to document the Weather Underground and the Chicago Eight trial. They conducted this interview with Fred Hampton, Deputy Chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, in October 1969; just over a month before he was killed by Chicago police.

The More Things Stay the Same
Marc Moscato, 2008, video, 12 min
The More Things Stay The Same examines the life and world of Hobo King, "Clap Doctor" and whorehouse physician Dr. Ben Reitman. From labor unrest to sex education to the genesis of the homeless crisis in America, Reitman's work continues to have importance and relevance to the hard-hitting issues of today.


For images or to arrange an interview, contact Marc Moscato (contact info on first page).