Canyon Cinema
Encyclopedia
Canyon Cinema is a San Francisco
based filmmakers' cooperative specializing in the distribution of avant-garde
and experimental film
. The organization was instigated in about 1960 by Bruce Baillie
as an exhibition outlet for independent film, and was formally established as a non-profit
distribution company in 1967. Today Canyon Cinema stands alongside The Film Makers Cooperative as one of the only major sources for prints of avant-garde and experimental film in America.
. The group's offices soon moved to the basements and backyards of other Bay Area artists and filmmakers.
In 1967 the founding articles of incorporation of "Canyon Cinema Inc. (A Non-Profit Corporation)" named Larry Jordan
as president and Earl Bodien as secretary. The founding directors were Jordan, Ben Van Meter, Robert Nelson
and Bruce Baillie. After the first election the directors became: Jordan, Van Meter, Emory Menefee and Loren Sears. Bruce Conner
was also associated with the cooperative at this time.
For a more complete history of Canyon Cinema, see Scott MacDonald's book, Canyon Cinema: The Life and Times of an Independent Film Distributor, University of California Press, 2008, ISBN 0-520-25087-7
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
based filmmakers' cooperative specializing in the distribution of avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
and experimental film
Experimental film
Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...
. The organization was instigated in about 1960 by Bruce Baillie
Bruce Baillie
Bruce Baillie is an American experimental filmmaker and founding member of Canyon Cinema in San Francisco...
as an exhibition outlet for independent film, and was formally established as a non-profit
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
distribution company in 1967. Today Canyon Cinema stands alongside The Film Makers Cooperative as one of the only major sources for prints of avant-garde and experimental film in America.
History
Canyon Cinema existed for a number of years as a "floating cinematheque", a series of informal screenings that were held in the backyard of filmmaker Bruce Baillie's house in Canyon, CaliforniaCanyon, California
Canyon is an unincorporated community in Contra Costa County, California situated between Oakland and Moraga in the San Francisco Bay Area. The community is named for its location in the upper canyon of San Leandro Creek along the eastern slope of the Berkeley Hills...
. The group's offices soon moved to the basements and backyards of other Bay Area artists and filmmakers.
In 1967 the founding articles of incorporation of "Canyon Cinema Inc. (A Non-Profit Corporation)" named Larry Jordan
Larry Jordan
Larry Jordan is an independent filmmaker who has been working in the Bay Area in California since 1955, and making films since 1952. He has produced some 40 experimental and animation films, and three feature-length dramatic films. He is most widely known for his animated collage films. In 1970 he...
as president and Earl Bodien as secretary. The founding directors were Jordan, Ben Van Meter, Robert Nelson
Robert Nelson (filmmaker)
-Selected filmography:*Special Warning *Limitations *Hamlet Act *Deep Westurn *Bleu Shut *War is Hell *The Awful Backlash *Grateful Dead *The Great Blondino *Hot Leatherette...
and Bruce Baillie. After the first election the directors became: Jordan, Van Meter, Emory Menefee and Loren Sears. Bruce Conner
Bruce Conner
Bruce Conner was an American artist renowned for his work in assemblage, film, drawing, sculpture, painting, collage, and photography, among other disciplines.-Early life:...
was also associated with the cooperative at this time.
For a more complete history of Canyon Cinema, see Scott MacDonald's book, Canyon Cinema: The Life and Times of an Independent Film Distributor, University of California Press, 2008, ISBN 0-520-25087-7
Board of Directors (All filmmaker members)
- Maïa Cybelle Carpenter, President
- Nathaniel DorskyNathaniel DorskyNathaniel Dorsky is an experimental filmmaker and film editor who has been making films since 1964. He intends that his 16mm silent films "create a state of prayer" not by treating Buddhism as a subject but by expressing "the view that comes from Buddhism".Dorsky was born in New York City,...
, Vice President - Dana Plays, Treasurer
- Mark Toscano, Secretary
- David Sherman