CMPL screens Ann Arbor Film Festival shorts

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — It was avant garde cinema hours at the Clinton-Macomb Public Library in early February as the main branch hosted a screening of films from the Ann Arbor Film Festival.

Held on the evening of Feb. 1, audiences at the CMPL’s Clinton Township Main Library were shown six short experimental films that were part of the 61st annual festival in 2023.

“They choose the films around March and once they’re chosen by the jury, they put them into the two (touring) programs and ship the tour around the county,” said Justine Cucchi-Dietlin, digital services librarian.

The short films were made using a variety of techniques ranging from standard filmmaking to stop-motion and mixed media collages, each showcasing the experimental spirit of the festival since its inception in 1963.

“A real key when looking at experimental film is that maybe you’re not so much going to the cineplex as you are to the art gallery,” said Leslie Raymond, executive director of the Ann Arbor Film Festival. “I encourage people to have the experience like you would experience music without words. You don’t sit there going, ‘What is the meaning of this?’ You just kind of take it in.”

The festival operates as both an in-person and online experience, showcasing selected short and feature-length films in theaters across Ann Arbor and online. Artists such as Geroge Lucas and Andy Warhol have screened films at the festival, and the festival is a qualifying event for the Academy Awards.

Between the main festivals, the Ann Arbor Film Festival sends two selections of short films on tours.

“Our festival has had a tour since its second year,” Raymond said. “I think the original impetus was wanting to get the filmmakers’ work out to be seen to places that we didn’t normally see this kind of work. It typically will travel to a couple dozen venues primarily in the United States but sometimes in Canada or Europe.”

The 61st festival’s tour visit to Clinton Township was one of its last stops before the 62nd festival, which runs in Ann Arbor from March 26-31 and online from March 26-April 7. About 3,000 films from more than 90 countries were submitted for the 62nd festival, of which 110 films will take part in the competition. More information about the festival can be found at aafilmfest.org.