[Frameworks] Chantal Akerman died

Tue Oct 6 20:26:00 UTC 2015

Unless I’m mistaken, the American premiere of Jeanne Dielmann was at Filmex in 1976. That’s the Los Angeles International Film Exposition, which was the largest festival in the world at that time except for Cannes, which we considered to be a market, not a festival. I saw it twice, first on the selection committee, then at the festival, where it impressed me even more the second time. I met Chantal for lunch immediately after, somewhat disoriented that such a reserved, shy little person could have made this work of monumental intelligence and power. She was with Lloyd Cohn, whose fledgling company, World Artists (I think that’s the name), was the American distributor of the film. I met Lloyd ten years earlier when he was doing publicity for Monte Hellman’s remarkable westerns, The Shooting and Ride In the Whirlwind, which I reviewed in the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. The review attracted a considerable audience for the films (Cameron Mitchell took out a full page ad in Variety to thank me and Jack Nicholson, who wrote, co-produced and starred in both), and because of that Lloyd was “loyal” to me over the years, which is how I ended up having lunch with him and Chantal Akerman. Lloyd was a small person too, about the same height as Chantal, and I remember feeling conspicuous, being more than a foot taller than them, as we entered the restaurant. I don’t remember much of the conversation except about Godard and Michael Snow, and how perceptive Chantal’s observations were. (As an aside, I prefer her “One Day Pina Asked…” over Wim Wenders’ piece on Bausch). I’m not sure about this, but I think Lloyd Cohn distributed some of Chantal’s experimental shorts for a brief period of time, and maybe The Meetings of Anna, and then I lost track of him. I showed Jeanne Dielmann, The Meetings of Anna, Hotel Monterey, Je tu il elle, and I’m Hungry I’m Cold in various classes every year for about 20 years, first at Calarts, then the College of Santa Fe. There were always lively discussions, and a handful of students invariably wrote term papers on Jeanne Dielmann or Meetings of Anna or both. Chantal affected me as profoundly as she did many others, maybe even a few of my students. By the way, if anyone knows what Lloyd Cohn is doing these days, please contact me off list.

> On Oct 6, 2015, at 12:55 PM, Anderwald + Grond <contact at anderwald-grond.at> wrote:
> 
> Chantal Akerman. 8 films now streaming online-some free, some to buy/rent @indiewire: http://www.indiewire.com/article/remembering-chantal-akerman-8-films-now-streaming-online-20151006?utm_campaign=Indiewire&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=1444152875 <http://www.indiewire.com/article/remembering-chantal-akerman-8-films-now-streaming-online-20151006?utm_campaign=Indiewire&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=1444152875>
> 
> 
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> -------------
> Ruth Anderwald + Leonhard Grond
> 
> ++43 699 10984551
> Schüttelstr. 21/14  
> 1020 Vienna
> contact at anderwald-grond.at <mailto:contact at anderwald-grond.at>
> http://www.anderwald-grond.at <http://www.anderwald-grond.at/>
> follow on twitter @anderwaldgrond <https://twitter.com/anderwaldgrond>
> http://www.hasenherz.at <http://www.hasenherz.at/>
> 
> http://www.on-dizziness.org <http://www.on-dizziness.org/>
> When I came in I was confused, when I came out I was full of ideas. Eilean Hooper-Greenhills
> Dizziness-A Resource FWF-PEEK AR-224
> Am 06.10.2015 um 20:04 schrieb 40 Frames <info at 40frames.org <mailto:info at 40frames.org>>:
> 
>> 
>> Very sad news... Akerman's influence is immense, and her vision is one that should be more widely celebrated and studied in film/art 
>> programs across the US. Perhaps in some quarters her work is celebrated, though the program I attended barely mentioned her name.
>> 
>> It is also tragic that so much of Akerman's work remains difficult to find viewing copies of. 40 some films and videos, and only a fraction 
>> can be tracked down without much work. 
>> 
>> For years, I coveted a VHS copy of News From Home. Thankfully, Criterion released Akerman in the Seventies. About once a year, I 
>> watch my tired VHS copy of Akerman on Akerman (Cinéastes de notre temps), in part to see clips from those difficult to locate films, but
>> also to see her opening introduction, spoken directly to the camera.  
>> 
>> Alain
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Tue, Oct 6, 2015 at 6:52 AM, Chen Sheinberg <chennsh at netvision.net.il <mailto:chennsh at netvision.net.il>> wrote:
>> Chantal Akerman – one of my cinematic heroes of all times - died yesterday.
>> 
>> R.I.P
>> 
>>  
>> 
>> http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/chantal-akerman-has-died-aged-65 <http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/chantal-akerman-has-died-aged-65>
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