Jonn Herschend and Alex Karpovsky: Stories from the Evacuation and Red Flag

For this special evening, SECA Art Awardee Jonn Herschend — artist, filmmaker, and cofounder of THE THING Quarterly — presents his SFMOMA-commissioned film Stories from the Evacuation, which continues his ongoing investigation of narrative and genre, truth and fiction, chaos and structure, and how they facilitate our perception. He is joined in conversation by director/actor/writer Alex Karpovsky (of HBO’s Girls fame), whose quasi-autobiographical Red Flag has been creating a buzz on the film festival circuit.

Jonn Herschend, Stories from the Evacuation, 2013, 22 min., digital

Herschend’s Stories from the Evacuation takes a behind-the-scenes look at SFMOMA as the museum relocates artworks and employees for its two-and-a-half-year closure for expansion construction. The short film uses a documentary motif to explore the inner workings of a museum in transition and extends a narrative thread into the personal lives of some of those involved.

Alex Karpovsky, Red Flag, 2012, 83 min., digital

In this existential road trip comedy, Karpovsky plays a fictional version of himself. Dumped by his longtime girlfriend, indie filmmaker Alex takes to the open road to promote his film, accompanied by a reluctant friend and pursued by his own demons and an overly ardent groupie. Alex’s misbegotten film tour becomes an unlikely form of therapy and a painfully comedic meditation on commitment and change.

Part of Live Projects 2