This documentary-based, interdisciplinary hybrid features footage Cohen gathered in Nova Scotia over the past decade, multiple 16mm film and HD projections coupled with texts ranging from poems and folklore to scientific research and newspaper fragments, and a live musical concert performed by accomplished musicians and former Cohen collaborators, including: Guy Picciotto of Fugazi; Jim White of Dirty Three; T. Griffin of The Quavers; Efrim Menuck, founder of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra; and Jessica Moss of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra along with special guest vocals from Mary Margaret O'Hara.
“Unique hybrid film forms, especially those involving performance, are all the rage these days,” said Noah Cowan, Artistic Director, TIFF Bell Lightbox. “Jem Cohen is a pioneer in this area and continues to be among the world's most important innovators in exploring the magical relationships between music, photography and film. This Canadian-set work featuring some of the nation's finest musicians sees him hit a new milestone in his storied career."
"With a stellar body of work including Fugazi’s Instrument and the Empires of Tin collaboration with the late Vic Chesnutt, Jem Cohen has been a perennial Images favourite," added Scott Miller Berry, Executive Director of the Images Festival. “This gorgeous, meditative, triple-projection piece will take the audience on a journey made even more emotionally resonant by the live presence of these fantastic, internationally recognized musicians. We are ecstatic to continue our 25th anniversary celebrations with this unique collaboration with TIFF.”
Jem Cohen’s most recent feature film, Museum Hours, had its North American premiere at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. Cohen has been widely celebrated for his work in music, film and photography, including groundbreaking music documentaries Benjamin Smoke (2000) and Instrument (1999); the feature film Chain (2004), which opened the 2005 Images Festival; installations such as the Occupy Wall St. Newsreels; and award-winning shorts Nightswimming (1993) and Little Flags (2000).
About TIFF
TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $170 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.
About the Images Festival
The Images Festival is the largest festival in North America for experimental and independent moving image culture, showcasing the innovative edge of international contemporary media art both on and off the screen through film, video, installation art and live performance since its inception in 1988. The Images Festival is a critical forum for the independent media arts in Canada and around the world and provides artists with a supportive and professional forum in which to present their projects. We go out of our way and over the edge to provide Toronto with an annual extravaganza of vanguard image making each April. For more information and our full archive please visit imagesfestival.com
Jem Cohen: We Have An Anchor from EMPAC @ Rensselaer on Vimeo.
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