In Person: Filmmaker Jeff Preiss

STOP (1995–2012) by Jeff Preiss

In the tradition of home movies, Jeff Preiss’ experimental documentary, STOP, begins in his child’s early years and concludes in his child’s teenage years. In brief, rhythmic flashes, subjects repeat in cycles while others form isolated episodes. The development of an art gallery entangles with family celebrations. Quotidian violence—including a white man in a Native American costume—intertwine with transportation and television programs. London and New York City are captured as they mourn the loss of Princess Diana and react in shock to the September 11th attacks. Silence and atmospheric sounds alter, while light leaks and jump cuts pulse throughout the film. Over the course of seventeen years, the growth of Priess’ child is the only reliable marker of time. The film chronicles not only the aging process but also the development of a sense of self as it differentiates from parental expectations. Preiss’s camera does not distance, judge or sensationalize but provides a platform for the child to proclaim his gender identity. (Malic Amalya)

FULL PROGRAM DETAILS AT: http://www.sfcinematheque.org/screenings/infrared-program-4/

INFRARED: IN CELEBRATION OF THE COMPTON TRANSGENDER DISTRICT

In 2017, the City of San Francisco indicated intention to designate a portion of its Tenderloin neighborhood (a portion which includes CounterPulse and the office of San Francisco Cinematheque Cinematheque) as the “Compton’s Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual District” in reference to a 1966 protest action held at Compton’s Cafeteria, located at the intersection of Turk and Taylor Streets in San Francisco. This pre-Stonewall action is recognized as a significant milestone in queer and transgender political activism. In celebration of this designation—the first legally recognized municipal transgender district in the world—San Francisco Cinematheque is proud to present INFRARED, four nights of experimental films by and about transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming artists curated by transgender filmmaker Malic Amalya.

From the 1969 Stonewall Riots to Standing Rock; from the 1992 presidential election to post-apocalyptic communes: these programs showcase trans experiences, perspectives, and legacies. These films survey light refractions and the art of hair flipping, craft orifices and sites of injections into portals of transcendence, and extol anti-police riots and community uprisings. INFRARED begins with Madsen Minax’s experimental narrative, Kairos Dirt and the Errant Vacuum. Amid the post-industrial decay of the American South, a middle school lunch lady, an androgynous student, and an astrologer-life coach-phone sex operator discover a fantastic and carnal alternate dimension occupied by a transworldly apparition. Program 2: Dislocation of Existence is a collection of short films that contemplate the weight of being and disintegration of knowing. Program 3: Slow/Sheltering/Shattering features short films that unpack moments of seismic shifts, unveil the intricacies of prolong permutations, and make demands for immediate social restructuring. INFRARED concludes with Jeff Preiss’ experimental documentary, STOP, filmed over the course of sixteen years. In the tradition of home movies, STOP begins in his child’s early years and concludes in his child’s teenage years–in this case, coinciding with his child proclaiming gender self-determination.