Phil Solomon, Programme 2

Sonic Cinema and The Phil Solomon Project present part two of a three programme retrospective of Phil Solomon’s films.

Internationally acclaimed American filmmaker Phil Solomon (1954-2019) created a body of cinematic virtuosity and poetic resonance that profoundly expanded the found footage genre. Presented by Sonic Cinema and The Phil Solomon Project, the series has been curated by Mark McElhatten and will be introduced by Eve Heller.

This programme charts Phil Solomon’s move into digital filmmaking, which resulted in some of his most iconic works. “Made ‘as a prayer, an offering, a “get well soon” card…’ for a friend who was not expected to survive. 20 years later that friend is alive and well and both the makers of Crossroad are gone.” (Mark Mcelhatten) Crossroad now acts as an unofficial prologue to what’s arguably Solomon’s best known work, the In Memorium series, which uses the Grand Theft Auto game universe as a canvas and was made in tribute to Mark Lapore (1952-2005). Rehearsals For Retirement (2007), Last Days In A Lonely Place (2007) and Still Raining Still Dreaming (2008) look away from the violent gameplay mechanics to find a reflective space of stillness, refracting virtual landscapes full of melancholy, nostalgia, loss and grief. Twilight Psalm IV: Valley Of The Shadow combines nocturnal landscapes from GTA with John Huston’s filmic meditation on James Joyce’s The Dead. As Solomon’s last completed work and only digital instalment of the Twilight Psalms, it acts as a coda to the series.

PROGRAMME

Crossroad (2005, 5 min, digital. Made with Mark LaPore)

In Memorium (Mark Lapore 1952-2005):

Rehearsals For Retirement (2007, 11 min, digital)

Last Days In A Lonely Place (2007, 20 min, digital)

Still Raining Still Dreaming (2008, 12 min, digital)

Twilight Psalm IV: Valley Of The Shadow (2013, 5 min, digital)

Total running time: ca. 60 min

With thanks to Eve Heller and Mark McElhatten. Very special thanks to Mark Toscano (Academy Film Archive).

Eve Heller initiated the founding of the Phil Solomon Project together with Mark McElhatten in the wake of Phil’s passing in 2019. The PSP is dedicated to sustaining the preservation, distribution, screening, exhibition, and publication of Phil Solomon’s artwork and thought.

Supported by the Austrian Cultural Forum London