Inspired by the Sunday afternoon screenings held at the Cantrills’ home in Castlemaine, this session will include a panel discussion between curators Keegan O’Connor and Audrey Lam, and invited guests, exploring the Cantrills’ work, their sense of community, and their concern for the “event” of cinema. Lam will also present a work-in-progress version of her upcoming film, prospectively titled Into the Afternoon, which documents the Sunday screenings in Castlemaine over the years and across the seasons. Tea and cake will be provided. Guest speakers include:

Michele Pierson (King’s College London) is the author of a book on special effects (Columbia UP, 2002), co-editor of Optic Antics: The Cinema of Ken Jacobs (Oxford UP, 2011) and essays on experimental film in publications such as Discourse, Film History, Screen and A Companion to Experimental Cinema, ed. Federico Windhausen (Wiley Blackwell, 2023). Her research on the Cantrills has focused on their expanded cinema exhibition at the Age Gallery (Melbourne) in 1971 and running of Sunday night film screenings and expanded cinema performances (“Living Cinema”) at a city music venue.

Steven Ball is an artist and academic. He lived and worked in Melbourne from the late 1980s through the 1990s during which time he was deeply involved in the local artist moving image scene, in particular the Melbourne Super 8 Film Group. He knew and worked with Arthur and Corinne Cantrill in a number of contexts, through numerous super 8 group activities and other events, and through his contributions to Cantrills Filmnotes. He is currently a Research Fellow at Central Saint Martins where he manages the British Artists’ Film and Video Study Collection.

This event is included in the Rich Mix Venue Pass. Pass holders can book a free ticket to this event and all other screenings and events taking place at Rich Mix as part of the festival. More information on the pass can be found here.