Screening: Ceremonies of Light: The Films of Kenneth Anger

Cinematic magician, legendary provocateur, author of the infamous Hollywood Babylon books and creator of some of the most striking and beautiful works in the history of film, Kenneth Anger was a singular figure in post-war American culture.

The films of Kenneth Anger provided a subversive alternative to mainstream cinema, and contained ironic references to popular culture. The films serve as magical ceremonies of light containing series of occult circuits connecting physical with spiritual dimensions; a celluloid form of astral projection. Anger regarded his work as having the potential to invoke primal forces, which can transcend the audiences’ cinematic experience to new levels of consciousness and achieve an altered state of mind.

This special survey of Anger’s work, curated by Jaimz Asmundson and introduced by Dr. Murray Leeder, is presented on 16mm courtesy of Canyon Cinema.

Jaimz Asmundson is a Winnipeg-based media artist and musician. Currently, Jaimz is the Programming Director at the Dave Barber Cinematheque and is a programmer and Festival Producer of the Gimme Some Truth Documentary Festival.

Dr. Murray Leeder is a Research Affiliate at the University of Manitoba and holds a Ph.D. from Carleton University. He has written numerous books and articles related to film and media, with a particular emphasis on horror cinema and the supernatural.