Reflections from a Cinematic Cesspool: George’s Sphere

Co-presented by Canyon Cinema

Join us for two screenings from the prodigal twin brothers of underground cinema, George and Mike Kuchar. Marked by a delight for the absurd, a sardonic wit, an admiration for the act of moviemaking, and a true interest in people, the Kuchars’ work is both one of a kind and two of a kind. For decades, both taught at the San Francisco Art Institute, where their influence on generations of students was as outsized as their own staggering output. In the films created directly with students, we see them shaping the school into a crucible for fearless, personal, and provocative filmmaking.

Program Two: George’s Sphere brings together four films across two distinct periods, pairing an SFAI class film with personal work by George Kuchar. The result is a double portrait of a filmmaker and his students. Together, the pairings reveal George’s fused relationship between teaching and creating and how his well-honed sensibilities radiated into the work of those around him. Curated by Andrew Lampert, who will be in attendance.

Recommended for mature audiences! Thank you to Anthology Film Archives, Video Data Bank, and Michelle Silva.

Program One: Planet Mike is on Thursday, April 30 at 6 p.m.

Program Details

One Night a Week (George Kuchar, 1978, 27 minutes, 16mm, B&W) Harvard Film Archive Preservation Print!

The story, written for a radio workshop in 1947, is about parents who make their teenagers stay in one night a week.

 
The Mongreloid (George Kuchar, 1978, 10 minutes, 16mm-on-digital, color)

A man, his dog, and the regions they inhabited, with each leaving a distinctive mark on the landscape. Not even time can wash away the residue of what they left behind.

 
Motel Capri (George Kuchar, 1986, 18 minutes, 16mm, color/B&W) Harvard Film Archive Preservation Print!
 

Calling Dr. Petrov (George Kuchar, 1986, 19:41 minutes, video)

Made the same year as Motel Capri, Calling Dr. Petrov may very well be George’s first completed Studio 8A class production.

 
Total runtime: 75 minutes

Accessibility Information

Accessibility accommodations such as American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and assisted listening devices are available upon request 10 business days in advance.

Please email publicengagement@sfmoma.org, and we will do our best to fulfill your request.
 

Meaningful support provided by the Susan Wildberg Morgenstein Memorial Fund.