Our film screenings highlight underground, avant-garde and independent cinema. When we can, we host the filmmaker for an introduction and post screening Q&A. We have shown thousands of films ranging from structural classics like Tony Conrad's "The Flicker" on 16mm, to music films such as Bjork's "Biophilia Live" and Sigur Ros' "Heima". We strive to bring classic films to be screened on 16mm but also new films by emerging independent filmmakers.

"BJORK: BIOPHILIA LIVE" final chance

Screen shot 2014 07 21 at 8.39.46 PMDate:
11.03.2014 5:30pm
Venue/Location:
MIDTOWN CINEMA 250 Reily St. Harrisburg

"BJORK: BIOPHILIA LIVE"

"From a mind unlike any other, Biophilia Live chronicles the multidimensional concert centered on the eighth studio album of avant-garde Icelandic artist Björk. Nick Fenton and Peter Strickland, unique voices in their own right, film Björk live in performance and punctuate her music with evocative animation and science and nature footage. The infinitely creative journey presents a culmination of work that represents one of the most original musical endeavors of a generation"

"biophilia live' is a concert film by nick fenton and peter strickland that captures the human element of björk's multi-disciplinary multimedia project: biophilia. recorded live at björk's show at london's alexandra palace in 2013, the film features björk and her band performing every song on 'biophilia' and more using a broad variety of instruments - some digital, some traditional and some completely unclassifiable. the film has already been hailed as " a captivating record of an artist in full command of her idiosyncratic powers" (variety) and " an imaginative stand-alone artwork" (hollywood reporter) and is a vital piece of the grand mosaic that is 'biophilia."

"There are not many artists who can combine the lifecycle of a jellyfish with a breakbeat and make it work. But this is an extraordinary piece, perhaps more an opera, where Björk and drummer Manu Delago are at their virtuosic best. It's utterly bonkers yet moving – especially a strange love song set to a mutating virus. It should be mandatory viewing for anyone about to dam a glacial river to facilitate aluminium smelting." - The Guardian

97 minutes. 2014.

Cast & Credits Director: Nick Fenton, Peter Strickland

Screenwriter: n/a

Producer: Jacqui Edenbrow

Editor: Nick Fenton

Cinematographer: Brett Turnbull

Executive Producer: Derek Birkett, Emma Birkett, Meroë Candy

Add'l Credit 1: Björk

Cast: Björk

LIVE MUSIC TO FILM: James Harrar's CINEMA SOLORIENS

cinema soloriens live 0Date:
11.03.2014 8:00pm
Venue/Location:
MIDTOWN CINEMA 250 Reily St. Harrisburg

LIVE MUSIC TO FILM:
James Harrar's CINEMA SOLORIENS

James Harrar’s experimental and highly personal film/video images will be viewed with a live musical rendering of soundtracks for each work. The musical concepts are created, directed and performed by Harrar, often with local musicians.

The project places attention on exploring the moving image with live performance and when combined, attempts to reveal deeper levels of interpretation within Harrar’s visceral film poems. This presentation also celebrates the early beginnings of cinema, providing live music to support and elevate the silent movie experience.

With the performance, the viewers will experience the spiritual states of mind through Harrar’s visual poetry, comparable to a moving painting.

He will be investigating aspects of his Tiwa/Isleta Pueblo Native American identity. Harrar believes that language is the essential lifeblood of any culture. Unfortunately, many Southwestern Native American tribes are losing the very soul of their heritage. Mythical Tiwa stories and mystic chants are presented in the Tiwa (Tuei) dialect (a historic first in New York).
Full Program

+ Vlaamperd, HD, 2014, 4’08″, Flemish horse race.

+ Tian, HD, 2013, 6’42″, Shanghai.

+ Stardust, HD, 2013, 7’00″, beauty, dazzle and excess of old Las Vegas.

+ Death & the Injun, HD, 2013, 4’43″, imagined encounter of a Native American meeting Death.

+ Invisible College, HD, 2013, 4’36″, a small group of mystics journey to discover hidden truths, invoke the night and participate in an initiation that reveals secret teachings resulting in departing their physical form.

+ Alembic, HD, 2013, 3’36″, themes of light, distillation, color and breath.

+ Prime, 16mm, 2012, 4’49″, for Tom Chomont, spirit portrait evoking psychic states through suggestions with playing cards, hands and face.

+ Prasad at the Mandir, HD, 2011, 6’15″, thorough examination of Mandir Temple with themes of spiritual journey and facing cosmic awareness.

+ Astro Mutable Equation, HD, 2011, 6’35″, meditation and portrait of friend, musician, Marshall Allen of the Sun Ra Arkestra.

+ Noh Drama, HD, 2010, 5’36″, Edo Period Noh Play depicting the life of husband and wife together with a suggestion of domestic violence.

+ Biblioteca Sol Oriens, 16mm, 2005, 8’15″, special library of Hermeticism is examined, revealing a rare collection of texts and imagery.

+ Ornamental, 16mm, 2005, 3’40″, a union of opposites in the Alchemical cycle.

+ Bandolier, 16mm, 2005, 6’15″, a meditation of Anasazi culture, cliff dwellings and Southwest land forms.

+ Thompson-Neeley House, s-8, 1993, 3’00″, a house George Washington slept in becomes a study of filmic time and space.

+ The Yellow Lion, 16mm, 1998, 6’00″, a gentle dance, ritual, allegory, meditation.

“What is most refreshing about James Harrar…is extraordinary lack of pretension with which the whole thing is carried off…Throughout the performance, one is reminded of Nietzsche’s definition of maturity as the attainment of the seriousness of a child at play.” - Robert Barry, The WIRE

MONDAY November 3rd, 2014

7PM, $8. all-ages, MIDTOWN CINEMA, 250 Reily St. Harrisburg.

"BJORK: BIOPHILIA LIVE" 2nd chance

Screen shot 2014 07 21 at 8.39.21 PMDate:
11.02.2014 5:30pm
Venue/Location:
MIDTOWN CINEMA 250 Reily St. Harrisburg

"BJORK: BIOPHILIA LIVE"

"From a mind unlike any other, Biophilia Live chronicles the multidimensional concert centered on the eighth studio album of avant-garde Icelandic artist Björk. Nick Fenton and Peter Strickland, unique voices in their own right, film Björk live in performance and punctuate her music with evocative animation and science and nature footage. The infinitely creative journey presents a culmination of work that represents one of the most original musical endeavors of a generation"

"biophilia live' is a concert film by nick fenton and peter strickland that captures the human element of björk's multi-disciplinary multimedia project: biophilia. recorded live at björk's show at london's alexandra palace in 2013, the film features björk and her band performing every song on 'biophilia' and more using a broad variety of instruments - some digital, some traditional and some completely unclassifiable. the film has already been hailed as " a captivating record of an artist in full command of her idiosyncratic powers" (variety) and " an imaginative stand-alone artwork" (hollywood reporter) and is a vital piece of the grand mosaic that is 'biophilia."

"There are not many artists who can combine the lifecycle of a jellyfish with a breakbeat and make it work. But this is an extraordinary piece, perhaps more an opera, where Björk and drummer Manu Delago are at their virtuosic best. It's utterly bonkers yet moving – especially a strange love song set to a mutating virus. It should be mandatory viewing for anyone about to dam a glacial river to facilitate aluminium smelting." - The Guardian

97 minutes. 2014.

Cast & Credits Director: Nick Fenton, Peter Strickland

Screenwriter: n/a

Producer: Jacqui Edenbrow

Editor: Nick Fenton

Cinematographer: Brett Turnbull

Executive Producer: Derek Birkett, Emma Birkett, Meroë Candy

Add'l Credit 1: Björk

Cast: Björk

"BJORK: BIOPHILIA LIVE" directed by Nick Fenton and Peter Strickland, 3 NIGHTS!

Screen shot 2014 07 21 at 8.39.05 PMDate:
11.01.2014 5:30pm
Venue/Location:
MIDTOWN CINEMA 250 Reily St. Harrisburg

"BJORK: BIOPHILIA LIVE"

"From a mind unlike any other, Biophilia Live chronicles the multidimensional concert centered on the eighth studio album of avant-garde Icelandic artist Björk. Nick Fenton and Peter Strickland, unique voices in their own right, film Björk live in performance and punctuate her music with evocative animation and science and nature footage. The infinitely creative journey presents a culmination of work that represents one of the most original musical endeavors of a generation"

"biophilia live' is a concert film by nick fenton and peter strickland that captures the human element of björk's multi-disciplinary multimedia project: biophilia. recorded live at björk's show at london's alexandra palace in 2013, the film features björk and her band performing every song on 'biophilia' and more using a broad variety of instruments - some digital, some traditional and some completely unclassifiable. the film has already been hailed as " a captivating record of an artist in full command of her idiosyncratic powers" (variety) and " an imaginative stand-alone artwork" (hollywood reporter) and is a vital piece of the grand mosaic that is 'biophilia."

"There are not many artists who can combine the lifecycle of a jellyfish with a breakbeat and make it work. But this is an extraordinary piece, perhaps more an opera, where Björk and drummer Manu Delago are at their virtuosic best. It's utterly bonkers yet moving – especially a strange love song set to a mutating virus. It should be mandatory viewing for anyone about to dam a glacial river to facilitate aluminium smelting." - The Guardian

97 minutes. 2014.

Cast & Credits Director: Nick Fenton, Peter Strickland

Screenwriter: n/a

Producer: Jacqui Edenbrow

Editor: Nick Fenton

Cinematographer: Brett Turnbull

Executive Producer: Derek Birkett, Emma Birkett, Meroë Candy

Add'l Credit 1: Björk

Cast: Björk

SPOOKY 16MM FILM NIGHT at the MIDTOWN CINEMA. RARE 16mm FILMS! Sun. Oct 26th, 7:30pm.

monstersholiday1Date:
10.29.2014 7:20pm
Venue/Location:
MIDTOWN CINEMA 250 Reily St. Harrisburg

Moviate Spooky 16mm Film Night:

"MONSTER'S HOLIDAY" 1981, 47min. Rare 16mm print, I.B TECH of an "Alice in Wonderland" meets "Where The Wild Things Are" style monster film, PLUS the following short subjects:

"Halloween Is Grinch Night", "Winter of the Witch", "The Tiny Tiny Witch" and "Halloween Safety". CAMPY, KITSCH, FAMILY FRIENDLY FUN!

LIVE MUSIC TO FILM: Todd Chandler of Dark Dark Dark, plays live to short films, presents "FLOOD TIDE" OCT. 29

quarry 1Date:
10.29.2014 8:30pm
Venue/Location:
MIDTOWN CINEMA 250 Reily St. Harrisburg

A group of artists and musicians living in a small, post-industrial town chase jobs, struggle with bills, and use art and music to build their own small world. When their friend Maya dies, they set out on an extraordinary voyage, unknowingly accompanied by her ghostly presence. And while they drift past empty new condo developments, explore crumbling castles, and swim in iridescent quarries, Maya narrates a parallel story about a strange and meandering river that flows both ways.

Flood Tide is a collaboration with the Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea, a project dreamed up by the artist Swoon and built by a group of artists and performers who floated seven large sculptures down the Hudson River. Flood Tide interweaves documentation of this journey with layers of fiction, mythology, and oral history to create a film that both documents and reimagines the real-life project.

Music is an integral part of Flood Tide, both on screen and off. The film features an all-original score by the band Dark Dark Dark and includes several onscreen performances by the band as well as a special performance by renowned experimental musician Pauline Oliveros.

A preview of the film with a live score by Dark Dark Dark was presented at the Hammer Museum, San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, 01SJ Biennial, and Rooftop Films and the Museum of the Moving Image in 2010 and 2011. Flood Tide premiered at the 2013 Torino Film Festival.

7:00pm, $8, MIDTOWN CINEMA! 250 Reily St. Harrisburg

"xxx ALL AGES xxx The Boston Hardcore Film" documentary. Sunday September 28th, 2014

all.ages .posterDate:
09.28.2014 7:20pm
Venue/Location:
MIDTOWN CINEMA 250 Reily St. Harrisburg

"A documentary film that explores the early Boston Hardcore music scene from the years 1981 through 1984. Unlike earlier films that were centered on the members of the bands, this film delves into the social and communal aspects of that particular era. The community, culture, straight edge and DIY (do it yourself) ethic of the time are all explored in the film. Never before seen archival footage, photographs, interviews and dramatizations make up the body of the film." -Duane Lucia

FILMMAKERS IN-PERSON: The Smyth Brothers, from Raleigh, N.C.

Rice for Sale StillDate:
08.14.2014 8:00pm
Venue/Location:
THE OTHER ROOM THEATRE at F&M, Lancaster
FILMMAKERS IN-PERSON: The Smyth Brothers, from Raleigh, N.C.

CREATIVE DESTRUCTION: The Smyth Brothers

Creative destruction is an economic concept that describes the paradox of progress by attaching evolutionary theory to capitalism. "It's the process of industrial mutation that incessantly revolutionizes the economic structure from within, incessantly destroying the old one, incessantly creating a new one." The dualistic nature pairs well with who we are as twins and the stories we try to tell- tales of a people and their pursuit of money. How does this pursuit mutate now that change is the only constant in capitalism?

Por Dinero
31min, 16mm to video, 2012

Quotes from an ancient Mayan hero tie together the life of an undocumented Mexican, his indigenous family, and their dying language.

Rice for Sale
31min, 16mm in-camera edits, 2013

An experimental tale distorting Bali's modern world into a historical account depicting the demise of its former cultural motto, "Rice is Life." Ten wordless vignettes, all in-camera edits, are strung together to compose a two-part mythological venture down the heavenly mountain toward the demonic sea, culminating at the site of the 2002 terrorist bombing.

BIO

Brendan and Jeremy Smyth are 16mm experimental documentary filmmakers who explore the globe in search of cultural oddities. Their interest in visual anthropology has sent them from Mexico to Indonesia showcasing the economic plight of workers through unique methods of storytelling. The twins' work has won multiple awards and screened at notable festivals/venues including Anthology Film Archives, Antimatter, Atlanta, Big Muddy, Chicago Underground, Edinburgh Int’l, and Indie Grits. The two are the directors/programmers of the Haverhill Experimental Film Festival in Massachusetts, soon to open submissions for the third annual event. Currently, the Smyth brothers live in Durham, NC, where they curate a monthly experimental film series known as UNEXPOSED.

8PM, all-ages. at The Other Room Theater, Lancaster.

"AS IT IS IN HEAVEN" FEATURE FILM by Joshua Overbay. Sunday August 24th, 2014

Date:
08.24.2014 8:08pm
Venue/Location:
MIDTOWN CINEMA 250 Reily St. Harrisburg

"AS IT IS IN HEAVEN"

"After the death of the Prophet, a man is called to lead his small religious sect as they anxiously await the end of the world they were promised. Director Joshua Overbay deftly leads audiences down a twisting path of passion and devotion, envy and manipulation in this sympathetic portrayal of a modern-day cult leader and his spiritual convictions. Devoted to a simple life of faith in unforgiving Kentucky backcountry, a small religious sect seeks spiritual awakening as their Prophet (John Lina) nears death and his son, Eamon (Luke Beavers), prepares to step forward as their new leader. But, in his last moments, the Prophet instead names newcomer David (Chris Nelson) as his spiritual successor"
a cult approaches the end of the world

critic's pick! "cooks a surprising amount of tension from the barest minimum of ingredients."
— new york times

"a tantalizing experience . . . potent"
— rogerebert.com

"a disquieting film about testing faith"
— chicago sun-times

"the stakes are nothing less than the end of days. . . quietly compelling . . . ominous"
— hollywood reporter

". . . finds its creepy heart in the performance of Chris Nelson, who imbues his fledgling cult leader with deep spiritual feeling and a welcoming humility . . ."
— the stranger (seattle)

TRAILER: http://www.asitisinheaventhemovie.com/#trailer

SU FRIEDRICH: screening of short films, Free screening at the PHILLIPS MUSEUM OF ART, F&M, Lancaster

Su headshotDate:
04.08.2014 7:30pm
Venue/Location:
The PHILLIPS MUSEUM of ART at F&M College, LANCASTER

Film Screening of short films by Su Friedrich

Su Friedrich's films regularly combine elements of narrative, documentary, and experimental styles of film-making and often focus on the roles of women, family, and homosexuality in contemporary America. Su Friedrich has been a leading figure in avant-garde filmmaking and a pivotal force in the establishment of Queer Cinema. Her work has radicalized film form and content by incorporating a feminist perspective and issues of lesbian identity and by creating a remarkable and innovative synthesis of experimental, narrative and documentary genres.

Sally Mather Gibson Curriculum Gallery, The Phillips Museum of Art

This event is open to the public.

projection services by MOVIATE

MARIE MENKEN: 16mm short films at the PHILLIPS MUSEUM OF ART, F&M, LANCASTER, FREE

menkenDate:
03.18.2014 7:30pm
Venue/Location:
The PHILLIPS MUSEUM of ART at F&M College, LANCASTER

16MM screening of short films by Marie Menken

Glimpse of the Garden (1957)
Eye Music of Red Major (1961)
Arabesque for Kenneth Anger (1961)
Go Go Go (1964)
Andy Warhol (1965)
Lights (1966)

As an American experimental filmmaker, Menken incorporated collage, painting and stop motion into her work. She took influence from the various art movements her contemporaries took part in, including abstract expressionism. Menken was known for her association and influence on many of the leading members of the movement, including Andy Warhol and experimental filmmakers Kenneth Anger and Stan Brakhage.

Sally Mather Gibson Curriculum Gallery, The Phillips Museum of Art

Co-Sponsored by the Department of Theatre, Dance, Film
Projection by MOVIATE
This event is free and open to the public.

A SELECTION OF SHORT FILMS BY MAYA DEREN ON 16MM FILM

A Study in a Choreography for Camera Maya Deren 1945Date:
02.18.2014 7:30pm
Venue/Location:
The PHILLIPS MUSEUM of ART at F&M College, LANCASTER

In conjunction with the exhibition, Theresa Bernstein: A Century in Art, The Phillips Museum presents a selection of short films by Maya Deren. "American experimental filmmaker and entrepreneurial promoter of the avant-garde in the 1940s and 1950s, Maya Deren combined her interests in dance, voodoo and subjective psychology in a series of surreal, perceptual, and black and white short films." Featuring: At Land (1944) Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) Ritual In Transfigured Time (1946) The Witch's Cradle (1943) A Study In Choreography For Camera (1945) February 18, 2014, Curriculum Gallery, The Phillips Museum of Art, 7.30 P.M. Co-Sponsored by the Department of Theatre, Dance, Film Projection by Moviate www.moviate.org This event FREE and open to the public.

THAT'S SEXPLOITATION: A VISUAL HISTORY - A Documentary Film by Frank Henenlotter

thats sexploitation 3 0Date:
01.30.2014 8:00pm
Venue/Location:
STUDIO A, HARRISBURG

Something Weird Presents

THAT'S SEXPLOITATION! A Visual History

A Documentary Film by Frank Henenlotter
One Night Only!
Thursday January 30, 2014
8pm
$5 Suggested Donation

"A wall-to-wall Lazy Susan of tits, ass and hilarity!"
- John Waters

Moviate is proud to present a screening of the new film by Frank Henenlotter (Basketcase, Brain Damage, Frankenhooker). This documentary film is still on the festival circuit and we are excited to host a local screening.

THAT’S SEXPLOITATION!, is a visual history of over 40 years of sex in the cinema (1930-1970)! It will feature rare and lost clips from vintage “adults only” feature films, shocking short subjects, quaint coin drop arcade loops, naughty stags and smokers, and graphic sex educationals from days gone by! Archival footage shows the many genres that developed over the years; including the early sex hygiene and drug scare films, glamour, panties and pasties, pretty pin-ups, goona-goona exotica, nudist camp classics, striptease and burlesque, art house sinema, nudie cuties, roughies, sexy psychedelia and tying things up with the pre-hardcore white coaters.
Your guides for this seldom seen side of American film history are The Mighty Monarch of Exploitation Film DAVID F. FRIEDMAN and cult movie director FRANK HENENLOTTER. They’ll accompany you on a fun and informative wild ride through the wonderful world of sexploitation cinema! The film was produced by SWV head honcho Mike Vraney and our partner in crime Jimmy Maslon. Directed by the illustrious Frank Henenlotter.

Trailer:

Review from The Hollywood Reporter:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/sexploitation-film-review-609107

"PRESENT" independent feature film by JOE CHANG (filmmaker in-person)

7678679 origDate:
10.17.2013 8:00pm
Venue/Location:
moviate at THE MAKESPACE

moviate welcomes filmmaker Joe Chang in-person with his new feature film "PRESENT"

ABOUT:
Daniel Crane (Nesey Gallons) is a semi-famous performance artist traveling and touring around the country, entertaining small enthralled audiences in the living rooms of houses with his awkward and sometimes alienating acts. On Halloween weekend, he finds himself with a few days off in Asheville, NC, staying with his kid sister, Dorothy (Faith Callaway) who works as a waitress at an old mom and pop Diner.

When a couple leaves a book at the Diner, Dorothy and Daniel decide to revisit the small town where they grew up. Along with Dorothy's roommate Cassie (Mariana Templin), they set out on a trip to Mount Airy, NC, discovering the things they once remembered are vanishing, and realizing things they've kept inside themselves since childhood never go away.

Starring
NESEY GALLONS
FAITH CALLAWAY
MARIANA TEMPLIN
with TEAADORA NIKOLOVA

Written and Directed by
JOE CHANG

Produced by
THE PAPERCOOKIE PICTURE COMPANY (Aubrey Curtis, Joe Chang, John Ferrer)

Cinematography by
GREG HUDGINS

Music by
NESEY GALLONS

OFFICIAL SITE:
www.ithappenedonehalloween.com
www.papercookie.net

AT MAKESPACE, 1912 n. 3rd st. Harrisburg

8pm, $5 donation to visiting filmmaker. all-ages, byob.

24th Annual Underground Film Festival - May 19th - 21st, 2023

2023 Virtual Film Festival Schedule of Events PDF

"Moviate is a volunteer operated, not for profit organization, dedicated to bringing independent, underground, and avant-garde Cinema and Sound events to the Harrisburg, PA area."

Search this site...