--Cynthia Penter Filmography
Home ... Media Arts ... Gallery ... coming soon ... Installations ... Videography ... Filmography ... Exhibitions
FILMOGRAPHY 16mm films:
COLOR, in progress
A rhythmical portrait film about, as the title says, one small island in the Aegean sea. It is also a meditation on my own life and the continuation of life on our planet. Music from O Megalos Erotikos, a ballet by Maurice Bejart, music by Manou Xatzidaki. Optical printer effects, text, and mixing of music, sound effects and narration. (Not yet available in print.) Currently being worked in a digital format. Excerpt available on DVD.
COLOR, 30 min., in progress
Portrait of a communal family. Combination of live action and still photography. Garden dance. And bad jokes. Music by I'M A TATTOO band, Old Wave music....vimeo Farm Film: Don't Fade Away
COLOR, 25 min., DVD, 2007 A poetic story about a young African American girl, the loss of her mother, and the gift of freedom given to her by her aunt. Produced by Cynthia Penter with students at the CSU School of Communication. Written by Mai Kim Dang. Music by Ian Penter.
B&W, 25 min., DVD, 2006 There's a killer on the road. Who dunnit? The clown, the salesman, or the hitchhiker? Produced by Cynthia Penter with students at CSU School of Communication.
B&W, 25 min., DVD, 2005 A courtroom drama that pits one woman against society's hypocrisies. Written by Chris Hlwiak, produced by Cynthia Penter with students at the CSU School of Communication.
COLOR, 33 min., OPTICAL, 1985 Seven short complete films are unified by a common theme: women and mirrors. Archetypes, symbols and imagery are examined. The structure is progressive, beginning with the simplicity of childhood and leading through the many ways women relate to mirrors and form their identities, ending with the destruction of the mirror motif. A more complete synopsis available upon request. Post production costs provided by an AFI (American Film Institute) Regional Media Arts Fellowship 1984.
COLOR, 3.5 min., OPTICAL, 1985 Originally shot in Ektachrome, images of an African dance performed locally were then converted to high contrast negative stock to enhance the movements. Then I painted directly onto the film surface to further manipulate the image and remove it from a realistic context. Soundtrack by King Sunny Ade mixed against ambient, outdoors sounds. 1987 Blue Circle, Cleveland, Ohio
COLOR, 7 min., OPTICAL, 1983 Do "you have to suffer to be beautiful?" The monologue of a young woman as she takes off her makeup and a poetic narration about beauty are intercut to create the illusion of a third perspective. Cutaways in scenes are used to cause a layering of reality. 1987Kent State University Women and Film Series. 1988Blue Circle, Cleveland, Ohio< ...vimeo Mirror, Mirror
COLOR, 6 min., OPTICAL, 1982 "She bugged me for a year to put her in a movie, so I did." Structured with the repetition of a one-line joke, this film ends with a cinema verite monologue as a young woman explains why she wants to be a star. 1982 Millennium, New York City ...youtube This is Mary Jayne's Movie
COLOR, 4.5 min., OPTICAL, 1982 The magical world of the circus as seen through the eyes of my seven-year-old son. Black and white film is posterized through color filters in the optical printer to produce a dance of sparkling colors and fantasy. Calliope music is heard throughout the film. 1982 Preview STV, Cleveland, Boston, Dallas 1983 Cleveland International Film Festival
COLOR, 12 min., OPTICAL, 1981 This film, whose title means "ocean moon / fire moon" in Gypsy, is a visual poem which correlates the rhythms and forces of nature to those of the dance. Dance has been used throughout time as a ritual form to both evoke and invoke these forces. The film begins and ends with a verbal incantation to this effect. "Multiple printing and other effects combine to create a sensual flow of imagery."* Includes dance sequences by Fibre Performing Arts Ensemble, Lynette Welnicki and Company, plus found footage. Electronic music by Dennis DeFrange. 1981 Athens Ohio International Film Festival* 1981 Cleveland Arts Festival 1982 Ann Arbor Film Festival 1982 Three Rivers Arts Festival, Pittsburgh, Honorable Mention 1986 ILIS Women's Conference, Geneva, Switzerland 1987 Kent State University Women and Film Series 1999 Akron Museum of Art, Ohio Films Series ...vimeo Doreeya Luna, Pira Luna
COLOR, 12 min., 1981 A portrait of a street in Cleveland, color and sounds. Soundtrack: "Goodbye Porkpie Hat" (Mingus/ McLaughlin) and "Visit from Mozambique" (Third World). The most fascinating people are on the streets.
COLOR, 7 min., OPTICAL, 1979 A fairy tale, a journey to a magical place, through many levels of consciousness. This film is a rotoscoped animation in which a dancer experiences strange and wonderful situations, including flying. Many techniques of experimental filmmaking are used including matte box. Soundtrack by John McLaughlin Mahavishnu Orchestra. 1981 Ann Arbor Film Festival 1981 Cleveland International Film Festival, First Prize, Ohio Competition 1981 Preview STV, Cleveland, Boston, Dallas 1982 Cincinnati Arts Festival 1986 ILIS Women's Conference, Geneva, Switzerland
B&W, 6 min., OPTICAL, 1979 Erotic imagery. This film is about the dilemma of bisexuality. A woman who is having troubles with her male lover turns to another woman for the tenderness she needs. Love scenes portrayed as a series of vignettes, sensitive and choreographed. Koto music soundtrack. 1981 San Francisco International Gay Film Festival, Honorarium 1986 ILIS Women's Conference, Geneva, Switzerland
B&W, 8 min., OPTICAL, 1978 A diary film. Reflections on my life and the artistic process. Classical guitar pieces by David Bechler. ...vimeo I Really Don't Think I Can Make This Movie
Super 8 films:
Kent collage; 1-2-3, a dance study; Poem for Paula; Canoe; Halloweenies/Hallo Oldies; N.Y., N.Y.; and various sketches. Available only accompanied by the filmmaker. 1972-1980
Other film work has included:
shooting the film accompaniment for a dance performance piece for dancer / artist Christina Anderson. Performed at the 1998 Cleveland Performance Festival and at Dance Image, Case Western Reserve University, 1997.
Also, shooting the film accompaninent for a senior art project / dance performance by Carol Sittig, Kent State University 1983.