If you walked into the Black Maria Film Festival expecting narrative stories, plot development, and psychologically deep characters, you would be sorely disappointed. As it says on the poster, the festival is Diverse, Expressive, and Passionate. The name Black Maria came from the world’s first motion picture studio built by Thomas Edison, and it resembled a police paddy wagon of the era. John Columbus then founded the film festival, giving it that name in honor of this studio. Over 600 submissions were made this year from all over the world, and the festival travels from universities to art exhibits all over the country. This year there were 45 videos in total at the festival, but only 11 of them were shown at Albright, almost all of them experimental. Experimental films go beyond convention, take risks, and strive to make art out of film. John Columbus told the audience that “film is a young art form, dominated by Hollywood-type narratives, but it does not have to be like this; film can be like a moving painting.” Jerry Orr, head of Berks Filmmakers, told us that these films were “avant-garde, experimental, documentary narrations, or slices of life.”
The festival started off with a professionally-filmed style documentary about polar bears, and then moved to a film called Ichthypolis, which the program described as “a techno-animation wonderfully populated with a singing gold fish, an opera diva, claymation characters, and watercolor washes in this digitally triumphant work.” In almost every film shown there was no dialogue, and visual elements were key. These types of films are not always about having a purpose or making sense; sometimes you have look past this in order to fully appreciate a film. I took a film class last year with Gary Adelstein; (and) this has led me to have a much better understanding of film as an art form, and just sometimes to take them for what they are. Many stared at the screen with mystified, entranced looks, as other audience members seemed to be drifting off. After one particular film, 1859, a 13-minute film of just flashing lights, not recommended for the epileptic, there was a huge sigh of relief from the audience. Although John Columbus thought this film was “beautiful” and “hallucinogenic.” Some films were simply about the color palette or sounds, obnoxious as they may be. One student claimed that some of the films were “hard to look at,” while others thoroughly enjoyed them. Recent alumnus and film student, Kevin Vogrin, said he wished more films had been shown, while my roommate, an avid Disney Channel lover, left after three films and said she “couldn’t handle it.”
I spoke with John Columbus after the show, and he told me that people needed to be more open-minded and that “not every film has to be perfect to be appreciated.” He told me that people have a limited range of what they are willing to tolerate, and that everyone is so concerned with time. Some films are “interesting but flawed; they may be too long, but it is okay, it’s just time.” I heard many people complaining about how this was the longest-experience event they had ever attended. I know some people only went for experience credit, but no one can deny that this was indeed an experience. I can almost guarantee that people saw films like they have never seen and will probably never see again. John told me that there is a constant battle for film to be accepted as a legitimate art form. I personally believe it is, that you can do things with film that you cannot do anywhere else, and it can instantaneously show image after image right in front of you. Here at Albright we only got a glimpse of the kinds of films that are in it. John explained that each place they go, they show different types of films, but Berks County Filmmakers is are known for showing experimental films, and so that is the majority of what was shown.
The audience ranged from art and film students who were excited to see these films, to students simply looking for experience credit. Either way, I think that the opportunity to see something like the Black Maria should not be missed. These films were unique in every sense of the word; some were beautiful, some comical, and some made no sense at all. However, each of these things helps to expand our minds and to be open to art in every form. I could tell how much hard work went into these films and the efforts put forth for this festival every year, and I hope it continues to allow independent filmmakers the chance to express themselves.
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