Tone Glow Presents "Simple Fascinations"
On February 23rd, Tone Glow will present 22 films from the late Amy Halpern. The screening is part of a multi-venue retrospective of Halpern's works alongside the Block Museum and Inga Books.
Tone Glow is excited to announce “Simple Fascinations,” a 22-film retrospective highlighting the works of the late Amy Halpern (1953-2022). Throughout her decades-long career, the Los Angeles-based filmmaker created beguiling works filled with lyrical images. While she made one feature-length film with Falling Lessons (1992), the majority of her works are brief, seductive vignettes. On Sunday, February 23rd, Tone Glow will present 22 of these short films, which grapple with light, color, materiality, texture, and the sublime. In an interview with Senses of Cinema, she noted that one of her only works with dialogue, Cigarette Burn (1978), was not meant to be about the words themselves. The ostensible simplicity of her films always belied their depth. These works—19 of which will be shown on 16mm—have been structured in two separate programs, carefully sequenced to help audiences better understand their exacting craft. These films will be shown at Elastic Arts.
Purchase tickets here. Tickets are $12 and are good for both programs (i.e. all 22 films).
Tone Glow is presenting these films within a larger multi-venue, city-wide retrospective of Halpern’s works titled “Palm Down.” Northwestern University’s Block Cinema will show Falling Lessons and VERGE for my sisters (2022) on Friday, February 21st. More information can be found at the Block Cinema website here. Inga Books will also be showing nine of Halpern’s short films—including Invocation (1982), Elixir (2012), and Jane Looking (2020), which stars Jane Wodening—on Saturday, February 22nd. More information can be found at the Inga Books website here. Both events will also feature readings from the poet and author Laura Paul, whose new book Film Elegy (PRROBLEM PRESS) explores her time as Amy Halpern’s apprentice. More information about Laura Paul’s Film Elegy can be found here.
Special thanks to David Lebrun, Canyon Cinema, Ben Creech, Michael Metzger, Malia Haines-Stewart, and Laura Paul.
“Simple Fascinations” at Elastic Arts, 2/23/25
Program 1 at 1:30pm
Plausible Light Source (1976, 1 min, color, silent) [digital]
Cuticle Torture (1981, 2 mins, b/w, silent) [digital]
Self-Portrait As a City (1977, 5 mins, color, silent) [digital]
Newt Leaders (2020, 4.5 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
Newt Pauses (2016, 7.5 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
4 Fingers, 5 Toes (2022, 11 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
My Dear Evaporant, (2022, 5.5 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
Ginko Yellow (2022, 5 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
Pouring Grain (2008, 2.5 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
Slow Fireworks (2019, 2 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
TRT = 46 mins
Program 2 at 3:00pm
Filament (The Hands) (1975, 7 mins, b/w, silent) [16mm]
Unowned Luxuries #3 (2020, 2 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
Pythoness (1979, 2 mins, b&w, silent) [16mm]
#27 (2019, 3 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
Study for Cigarette Burn (1976, 2 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
Cigarette Burn (1978, 7.5 mins, b&w, sound) [16mm]
My Mink (Unowned Luxuries #2) (2020, 5 mins, color, silent) [16mm]
Emit a Beam, See a Light (2022, 3.5 mins, color, sound) [16mm]
Access to the View (2000, 2 mins, color, sound) [16mm]
Hula (2022, 6 mins, color, sound) [16mm]
Cheshire Smile (2012, 5 mins, color, sound) [16mm]
Injury on a Theme (2012, 7 mins, color, sound) [16mm]
TRT = 52 mins