Glimmers and Ghosts: The Cinema of Tomonari Nishikawa

Su Friedrich is a groundbreaking experimental artist whose approach to diaristic filmmaking has helped shape queer cinema. Her more than two-dozen moving-image works have screened in festivals and museums worldwide, and have inspired more than 30 career retrospectives at prestigious institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art; and the Rotterdam International Film Festival. In each of her films, including the two featured in this program, Friedrich rewrites cinematic language to reflect her own experiences, including her childhood encounters with religion (Damned If You Don’t) and her complicated relationship with her father (Sink or Swim). In 2015, Sink or Swim was honored with a place in the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry, a testament to its cultural and artistic significance and enduring legacy.

This program features world premieres of new 16mm preservation prints from the Academy Film Archive, and welcomes Friedrich in person to discuss the evolution of her practice, visions of girlhood, prolific creative output, and more.

Program and note by K.J. Relth-Miller.

Thanks to Los Angeles Filmforum, where a program of Friedrich’s work will screen on Sunday, January 11 at 2220 Arts + Archives.