If anyone has a right to the title Home Movie Master, it is Stan Brakhage. He has become famous with his more or less abstract films akin to painting. The relationship with painting is very literal: he applies colour by hand to the film material. In addition, throughout his career as film-maker Brakhage has filmed his immediate surroundings, his family, and incorporated these pictures in his films. He is regarded by many as the most important living experimental film-maker.Brakhage has made a great many of films that would not be out of place in this programme. In order to present a balanced selecti¡on, the ‘Brakhage expert’ Simon Field, of the London Institute of Contemporary Arts, was asked to compile a programme. Field will also contribute an introduction to the films during the festival.One of Brakhage’s most classical home movies is Window Water Baby Moving (1959), made around the birth of his first child. Brakhage has also made a whole series of so-called Songs of which parts 1 to 14 (1964 – 1969) will be screened. The Songs are inspired by everyday things but also by poems. Another work in several parts is Scenes from Under Childhood of which the first section (1967-1969) is being shown. Finally the short Machine of Eden (1970) is included.
