On Tuesday, September 27th, 2005 at 8:00pm, filmmakers and music headliners will rally in support of The Film-Makers’ Cooperative at the 2nd Annual Benefit Concert at the Angel Orensanz Center for the Arts, 172 Norfolk Street, between Houston and Stanton Streets, in New York City.

PROGRAM

SILENT ART AUCTION

An impressive line-up of downtown musicians has been assembled to perform with film projections from the Co-op’s archive: Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Elliott Sharp, Todd Reynolds, Mark Stewart, Sue Garner, Patrick Watson, and a trio consisting of Tim Barnes, Alan Licht and Lee Ranaldo.

Musical performances will be paired with screenings of films by the likes of Ken Jacobs, Michael Snow, Harry Smith, Jenn Reeves, Bill Morrison, Donna Cameron, Emily Hubley, and Ron Rice.

Film-Makers’ Co-op Executive Director M.M. Serra beams, “It will be a phenomenal night of great music, by great performers with rare screenings of some of avant-garde’s great cinematic treasures.”

The Film-Makers’ Cooperative was founded in 1961 by a group of artists that included Shirley Clarke, Robert Frank, Alfred Leslie, and Jonas Mekas. It is the world’s oldest and largest artist-run collection of avant-garde cinema. Proceeds from the benefit will support the Coop’s preservation efforts and the distribution of over 5000 films in its collection.

Artist and organizer for the event, Bill Morrison remarks “The Film-Makers’ Coop maintains one of the most important collections of independently produced films anywhere, reflecting a history of the avant-garde dating back to the early 1920s. The benefit concert gives people a chance to view selections from this vast treasure trove of experimental film, with live performances by some of the greatest musicians of our time. An evening like this can only happen in New York.”

This event is funded partially by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. Also,funding for the concert was made possible by generous donations from Cinema Arts, Colorlab, Glass Eye Pix, Lab Link, The Maya Stendhal Gallery, The Orphan Film Symposium, and the Board of Directors of the Film-Makers’ Cooperative.

TICKETS: $40 (tax deductible contribution). Cash or credit cards accepted. Tickets may be purchased at the door, through TicketWeb, or by calling the Film-Makers’ Cooperative’s office at (212) 267-5665