All Films

Plaza Party

1981 • 3 min

This was filmed in 16mm b/w without sound as a work for hire by Barry Masterson, who developed the film itself; hence, the faded, grainy quality. This was a party I had at The Plaza Hotel in June of 1981, for my birthday and also to celebrate my imminent departure for a semester at university in Italy. There are many, many famous people in this movie -- can you spot them?

Observing Enemy Movements

1981 • 10 min

The optical track of Observing Enemy Movements on clear leader. May be played with or without projector beam. – D.R.

Restoration

1981 • 2 min • Soviet Union

A study of flowers.

Emotionen

1981 • 5 min

Emotions, strong and deep feelings and their polarity are part of being human. “They don't exclude reason, but are intertwined with it.” This short educational film, which begins in the style of an essay film, as a montage of black and white photos, afterwards shifts to emotions produced in everyday life.

Se alquila ciudad

1981 • 10 min • Venezuela

Experimental video by Carlos Castillo.

Sanrizuka Notes 3—The March of the Earth

1981 • 50 min

The film portrays Sanrizuka’s resistance through the lens of an everyday peasant’s life, remaining true to their perspectives as they reorganise and place agricultural issues at the heart of their continued struggle.

365 Tage im Jahr

1981 • 43 min • Germany

A look at country life in the German Eifel.

David Letterman: Looking For Fun

1981 • 28 min

David Letterman looks at potentially fun things to do, such as going to a video arcade, visiting a wax museum, fishing in the Los Angeles River, and hiring a clown to perform at home.

Wanwan Kajida Wan

1981 • 18 min • Japan

A short film about fire safety with a twist involving an alien in his spaceship working with the neighborhood kids.

Adieu Philippines

1981 • 15 min

Shot during Deocampo’s year as a scholar in France under Atelier du Formacion Au Cinema Direct. His first documentary provides a glimpse of three Filipino painters residing in Europe: Nena Saguil, Macario Vitalis, and Ofelia Gelvezon-Tequi. The featured artists commentate on their daily practices as artists and migrants, all uniting at the end for an intimate gathering.

Behind the Curtain: Evgenios Spatharis

1981 • 16 min

The leading figure of Shadow Theater in Greece, the renowned Karagiozis performer, shadow theater teacher, and painter, **Evgenios Spatharis**, was born 100 years ago, on **January 2, 1924**. Continuing the family tradition of shadow theater passed down from his father, the well-known Karagiozis performer **Sotiris Spatharis**, Evgenios Spatharis dedicated his entire life to this important form of folk art. He traveled around the world showcasing his work and was honored with various European awards for his artistic contributions. In **1995**, the **Municipality of Maroussi** founded the **Spatharis Shadow Theater Museum**, giving Karagiozis a permanent home. In **2007**, the **Ministry of Culture** honored the great artist and shadow theater teacher for his contribution to Greek folk art.

Stockholm – Nordens Venedig

1981 • 17 min

The film provides a rhapsodic overview of Sweden's capital. In brief glimpses we get to see how the city is built – the water, the islands, the bridges and the mainland. Each inner city district is presented separately, where different buildings and places show each district's distinctive character. The most famous tourist attractions are included, as well as historical monuments and characteristic metropolitan phenomena. Housing, business, working life and communications are illustrated in short bursts of images. Finally, examples are given of problems and difficulties faced by city dwellers, but also the advantages of living in a big city – the wide range of culture and leisure on offer, for example.

Other Bottles

1981 • 7 min • Romania

Another series of short stories about bottles.

Reality Check

1981 • 4 min

Cut-out animation.

June Woods • July Swamp

1981 • 12 min

Experimental film by Hiroyuki Sekine.

Living Treasures of Japan

1981 • 57 min

Profiles nine artisans and performing artists who are recognized by law as "holders of important intangible cultural properties" and are charged with publicly exhibiting their works and teaching their artistry to apprentices. Pays visits to a potter, a doll sculptor, a puppeteer, a papermaker, a koto musician, a swordmaker, a textile weaver and a dyer, a kabuki theater actor, and a bellmaker.

Central America: A Gamble on Terror

1981 • 28 min • Soviet Union

About the USA's international terrorism, targeted on Latin American countries: El Salvador, Cuba, Nicaragua.

Eat a lot of Cabbage

1981 • 18 min

Experimental film by Hiroyuki Sekine.

Un día de muerte

1981 • 15 min • Venezuela

Super-8 film by Gianni Dal Maso.

First Memory

1981 • 20 min

The interior of a house. Outside, the sun parches the landscape. A woman’s voice tells a story. Filmed from 35mm slide projection on 16mm reversal Fuji film with in camera fades and pans.

The Last to Know

1981 • 55 min

Via New Day Films: "Nearly one half of the estimated ten million alcoholics in the country are women, yet their special problems are totally ignored. Concealed by families, protected by friends and physicians, these women are kept invisible. They themselves are often The Last to Know. This extraordinary film speaks directly to these women by sensitively focusing on four intimate stories and shows how the medical community, the media and the values of society at large actually perpetuate alcoholism and prescription drug abuse in women."

Come by Here

1981 • 26 min • Papua New Guinea, United States of America

Filmed with a 16mm spring-wound Bolex camera, this story-driven documentary captures a pivotal moment in the life of the Sepik Iwam people of Hauna Village, deep in the Papua New Guinea jungle. Bible translator Marilyn Laszlo had been living among them for years, joined now by her sister Shirley. As the mission grew, the film introduced light reenactments to convey the depth of transformation taking place. When a neighboring village arrived seeking medical help, what unfolded was both unexpected and profoundly moving.

The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin

1981 • 10 min • Canada

Cinderella has to stay home while her evil stepsisters go to the ball. You know the rest except everyone here is a penguin (even the mice that become the "horses") and the lost slipper is more like a swimming flipper.

The Man Who Could Not See Far Enough

1981 • 32 min • United States of America

A film that uses literary, structural, autobiographical, and performance metaphors to construct a series of tableaux that evoke the act of vision, the limits of perception, and the rapture of space.