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Roll Call: Bay Area Arts and Culture
PLAYLIST
Film Music: Electrelane
One Act Play: The Collectors
Hollywood Flashback: Amanda Lear
Studio Di Colore [L’Assoluto Naturale, 1970]: Ennio Morricone
Sequenza 10: Ennio Morricone
Ballade De Melody Nelson: Serge Gainsbourg
It Don’t Mean A Thing: Gabin
Our Favorite Idols: Shenandoah Davis
From The Film Of The Same Name: Indian Summer
Falling For An Actor: Ann Magnuson
Score and dialogue from Mike Kuchar’s “The Craven Sluck” (1967)
INTERVIEW
Dj Margaret is joined in conversation with film directors JENNIFER KROOT who made the acclaimed documentary, IT CAME FROM KUCHAR and the legendary MIKE KUCHAR who is one of the subjects of Kroot’s documentary on their work, current projects, and histories.
Director, cinematographer, and visual artist MIKE KUCHAR was born in New York City, and began making 8mm home movies starring friends and family with his twin brother George at age 12 in the Bronx. Mike attended commercial art high school and worked as a fashion photo retoucher while making his own 16mm movies of which “Sins of the Fleshapoids” (1965) and “The Craven Sluck” (1967) most noted for their camp quality. He also worked as a cinematographer on films for German television. In the past 10 years, Mike has focused on more intimate one person expressionistic films. He coauthored with his brother George “REFLECTIONS FROM A CINEMATIC CESSPOOL” published in 1997, a humorous memoir discussing four decades of filmmaking and including an introduction by director John Waters. Between the late 1970s to 2004 Mike made illustrations for various erotic comic publications in the US, including Meatmen, Manscape, Gay Heart Throbs, and First Hand, among others. His films and illustrations have been exhibited internationally. Mike and George Kuchar were the co-recipients of the ‘Vanguard Director Award’ at the 11th CineVegas Film Festival, and recipient of the 2009 FRAMELINE ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. Mike Kuchar has recently exhibited his drawings at Francois Ghebaly Gallery, LA, [2nd floor projects], San Francisco, and Matthew Marks Gallery, NY with upcoming exhibitions in Vancouver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles through 2012. In the 2008 Artforum exhibition review on the Kuchar’s, critic Bruce Hainley deemed the Kuchar brothers, “two of the most important artists this country has ever produced.” Mike is currently teaching in the film department at the San Francisco Art Institute. He is represented by [2nd floor projects] San Francisco.
“As an illustrator, my aim is to amuse the eye and ‘spark’ imagination. To sooth with sensual lines and excite with color. To create titillating scenes that refresh the soul and put a bit more ‘fun’ to viewing pictures.” —Mike Kuchar
Director, JENNIFER M. KROOT is a San Francisco-based filmmaker and Bay Area native. She studied film at San Francisco State University and at the San Francisco Art Institute. Jennifer produced and directed the documentary film IT CAME FROM KUCHAR (2009) about her former SFAI film professor George Kuchar and his twin brother Mike Kuchar. KUCHAR focuses on the Kuchar brothers’ unique brand of melodramatic, but deeply human underground filmmaking. KUCHAR explores how their style inspired some of our most notable and creative filmmakers, including John Waters, Atom Egoyan, Wayne Wang, Guy Maddin and Buck Henry (all interviewed in the film). KUCHAR premiered at the South by Southwest film festival in 2009 and was awarded best documentary feature at The Chicago Underground Film Festival and the Boston Underground Film Festival. Jennifer also wrote, directed, produced and starred in SIRENS OF THE 23RD CENTURY (2003) an experimental, science fiction, feminist-camp, narrative. SIRENS is set in the 23rd century after modeling and cosmetics have been outlawed by a fascist government regime called the Men’s Plainness Advocacy. SIRENS was inspired by Jennifer’s love of fantasy, science fiction, surrealism and underground film. Within the context of low-budget fantasy and campy theatrics she explored deeper issues of sexuality and gender. Jennifer’s filmmaking influences and inspirations include: Jennie Livingston, the Maysles brothers, Kirby Dick, Julie Taymor, Jean Cocteau, and of course, the Kuchar brothers.
For more on director MIKE KUCHAR visit Video Data Bank, Anthology Film Archives, Pacific Film Archives and director JENNIFER KROOT visit kucharfilm.com and sirensofthe23rdcentury.com, and more...
