Canyon Cinema

Canyon Cinema is a San Francisco based filmmakers' cooperative specializing in the distribution of avant-garde and experimental film. The organization was instigated in about 1960 by Bruce Baillie as an exhibition outlet for independent film,[1] and was formally established as a non-profit distribution company in 1967. Today Canyon Cinema stands alongside The Film Makers Cooperative as one of the only major sources for prints of avant-garde and experimental film in America.

Contents

History

Canyon Cinema existed for a number of years as a "floating cinematheque", a series of informal screenings that were held in the backyard of filmmaker Bruce Baillie's house in Canyon, California. The group's offices soon moved to the basements and backyards of other Bay Area artists and filmmakers.

In 1967 the founding articles of incorporation of "Canyon Cinema Inc. (A Non-Profit Corporation)" named Larry Jordan as president and Earl Bodien as secretary. The founding directors were Jordan, Ben Van Meter, Robert Nelson and Bruce Baillie. After the first election the directors became: Jordan, Van Meter, Emory Menefee and Loren Sears.[2] Bruce Conner was also associated with the cooperative at this time.[3]

For a more complete history of Canyon Cinema, see Scott MacDonald's book, Canyon Cinema: The Life and Times of an Independent Film Distributor, University of California Press, 2008, ISBN 0-520-25087-7

Current staff

Board of Directors (All filmmaker members)

References

  1. ^ Scott MacDonald, Canyon Cinema: the life and times of an independent film distributor, University of California Press, 2008, p6. ISBN 0-520-25087-7
  2. ^ Scott MacDonald, Canyon Cinema: the life and times of an independent film distributor, University of California Press, 2008, p16. ISBN 0-520-25087-7
  3. ^ Barry Keith Grant, American Cinema of the 1960s: themes and variations, Rutgers University Press, 2008, p16. ISBN 0-8135-4219-7

External links