Selected Shorts: Experimental Response Cinema’s Ekrem Serdar Presents the Omnipotent Voice
We asked Ekrem Serdar of Austin’s own Experimental Response Cinema to share one of his favorite short films with us. Here it is:
Featuring a “director” of such omnipotent powers that Kubrick would seethe in jealousy, John Smith’s THE GIRL CHEWING GUM(1976) is a classic and comedic* crowd-pleaser that I return to whenever I feel my senses are dulled. The joy of the film is not only in Smith’s commandeering voice, but also in how he pinpoints our attention on this busy East London street, the eyes directed by the word, as Smith wittily upends any illusion of control. A cold glass of water in the desert of “mastery”. You can find out more about John Smith on his website.
Watch the movie HERE.
*Insert requisite line on how the avant-garde isn’t known to have a sense of humor.
By the way, Experimental Response Cinema screenings feature historical and contemporary artist-focused works that span a number of histories, genres, and scenes, including experimental film and video, artists film, underground film, video art, installation art, the poetic film, the essay film, avant-garde cinema, and many others. Keep track of their current season of screenings here.
