Since its inception in 1978, the Millennium Film Journal has aspired to provide a space for writers and artists to document and discuss the ever-evolving field of artists' moving image. With its consistent focus on contemporary media, the MFJ is a primary source record of the last 45+ years of the field. Keenly aware of the disconnect between reading about and watching film, the MFJ is always on the lookout for ways to bridge the gap. For several years, they have launched each issue of the magazine at New York City's Anthology Film Archives with a programme of works addressed in the issue. Specifically for the Close-Up, they have drawn from their last two years of launch screenings to create a survey of recent moving image artworks from around the world.

Senior editor Grahame Weinbren will be joined by contributing editors Kim Knowles and Nicky Hamlyn for a discussion of the programme and the magazine.

Arabesque for Kenneth Anger
Marie Menken, 1961, 5 min

"Arabesque for Kenneth Anger, made with Anger’s (literal) support, consists of controlled hand-held camera moves that follow repetitive patterns of ornamental ceramics and other geometric surfaces in the Alhambra’s Islamic architecture. The minor key flamenco-like guitar soundtrack by Teijo Ito is faultlessly in sync with the motion within the frame. The restraint of the music matches the film’s erotic visual rhythms without overdetermining or dominating them.” – Grahame Weinbren (MJF 79)

Fall
Kathryn Ramey, 2006, 5 min

"When a heterosexual dude makes a film about his kids, that is very political. When a woman makes a film that engages with the act of being a parent, it’s often seen as less significant. That shows how political it is because even now, motherhood is a terrible double bind. When I was expecting my first child, I was told by more than one female filmmaker, “Forget it, you’re done, you’ll never make a film again.”” – Kathryn Ramey (MJF 79)

Kustom Kar Kommandos
Kenneth Anger, 1965, 3 min

“His very name is provocative, much like the artist himself – a mysterious creator of worlds steeped in dark beauty and perverse imagination. Anger’s force of nature emerged from an early age, shaping a unique worldview of homoerotic obsession and desire, where myth and ecstasy danced to a soundtrack that would leave an indelible mark on the aesthetics of the 60s and 70s. He was a cinematic magician, and in his eyes, Lucifer shone as a beacon of light piercing through cosmic darkness, the patron saint of the visual arts.” – Brian Butler (MJF 78)

Apostles of Cinema
Ajabu Ajabu, 2023, 18 min

“A fast-paced examination of the Tanzanian pirate DVD-based DJ movie culture, offering an exhilarating account of what true democratization of cinema might look like.” – Susana Bessa (MJF 78)

Diteggiatura
Riccardo Giacconi & Andrea Morbio, 2021, 17 min

"To reference action figures in a programme of experimental and artists’ moving image is inevitably to suggest a reconceptualization of the term. The rippling muscles of Hollywood action figures are unsurprisingly eschewed here, for a more complex and inclusive depiction of what figures as action. The title refers most obviously to Riccardo Giacconi’s Diteggiatura (Fingerpicking), where the figures of action are the hand-crafted marionettes of the Compagnia Marionettistica Carlo Colla e Figli in Milan, one of the oldest puppet theatres in the world. Detailing the intricate gestures of the artists that fabricate and then those that animate these figures, the film builds a tactile depiction of raw materials being shaped into unique characters, each with its own expressive features. Each face tells a story, imbued with history and the experience of previous performances.” – Kim Knowles (MJF 77)

The Fourfold
Alisi Telengut, 2020, 7 min

"To make her films, Telengut works on a single surface or piece of paper, painting with pastels and fingertips, to produce a three-dimensional picture on a magazine-sized substrate. Scenes are painted, photographed, and then either adjusted, erased, or painted over. Films are produced live on the canvas, which, at the end, stands tall and thick. This procedure is repeated over many months, concluding with the creation of two interrelated yet distinct artworks: a digitally rendered film made via stop motion animation, and a sculptural artifact made by hand.” – Chris Dymond (MFJ 76)

L'incanto
Chiara Caterina, 2020, 20 min

“In 1997, Donatella Colasanti was found alive in the trunk of a car after being raped and tortured. In 2006, Rosa Bazzi and her husband stabbed four people to death, including an infant because “I didn’t like the way he was screaming.” L’Incanto’s soundtrack includes fragments of an interview with Donatella and of Rosa’s police interrogation: the voices of a victim and a murderess. Chiara Caterina placed these audio recordings, along with segments of a Tarot card session and other women’s stories – all on the subject of death – against images from 'abandoned projects' (her words). The result is a compelling, unique film." – Grahame Weinbren (MFJ 76)

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