Radical Light

Celebrating the publication of their book Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000, the Pacific Film Archive launched an ambitious 25-part film/video series summarizing the creative outpouring of one of the nation’s most active media communities. Alternative film and video from San Francisco and its nearby environs has historically drawn on a rich arts scene of poets, visual artists, composers, and technology innovators which accounts in part for the cross-fertilized nature of much of this work. A selection of programs from Radical Light is currently touring the country, bringing seminal as well as rediscovered works from the Bay Area to new audiences with the hope of inspiring continued experimentation within the media arts. The two screenings at the MFAH, presented in collaboration with Aurora Picture Show, feature programs of short films curated by Steve Seid from the Pacific Film Archive. Seid and film critic Michael Sicinski will introduce both screenings, joined by filmmaker Scott Stark, who is featured in the second program. A reception and book signing in the museum galleries follows the 2 p.m. show. The Radical Light tour is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.