FROM THE ARCHIVE
the films of:
betty ferguson
During the 1960s and ‘70s, Toronto-born Betty Ferguson made a series of experimental films from the editing room in her New York apartment. She playfully explored the use of found footage, montage, and hand-tinting; often sourcing frames from other filmmakers’ damaged or leftover prints and discarded black & white reels from local television stations. Ferguson is also a former volunteer and later board member at CFMDC, and we have proudly distributed her films since the 1970s. Her works include: Barbara’s Blindness (1965), made in collaboration with Joyce Wieland, The Telephone Film (1972), Airplane Film (1973), and Kisses (1976).
filmography
The Telephone Film
1972
Through playful montage centred around the motif of the telephone, Ferguson traces a winding conversation through commercial film history, one that is comedic, tense, and replete with miscommunication, ultimately culminating in catastrophe.
Airplane Film
1973
Spanning 40 years of cinematic aviation, this 35-minute patchwork film juxtaposes the excitement, escapism, anxiety, and destruction involved with flying, through rapid shifts in perspective.
Kisses
1976
A collage film composed of hand-tinted scenes from feature films and television, described by Ferguson as “a humorous dadaistic study of The Kiss on film.”
NEW ANALOGUE WORKS IN DISTRIBUTION
Since CFMDC’s founding in 1967, our collection of analogue films has remained an important and active space for artist-made moving image in Canada, including 16mm, 35mm and (s)8mm works.
Below are some recent highlights entering the collection, created through various processes including phytogramming, stop-motion animation and collage, using 16mm, 35mm, innovatively and playfully to explore current politics, écriture féminine, and kinship.
A SEMIOTIC SQUARE FOR VIOLENT BEAR
DIARIO DI VERANO
What does our culture dream? How can we locate that dream within the logics which govern our lives? Half collage, half essay, half serious, A Semiotic Square for Violent Bear is a busy, referential riff on the political moment.
Exploring écriture feminine and the patriarchal biases still present in commercial cinema, Custom Trailer Series: Austin Powers reimagines the original Hollywood film through the structure of a starburst quilt pattern.
diario de verano is an exploration of neighborhood flora in Tkaronto. Experimentation with abstract movement and the physical, compositional properties of foraged materials, strengthened our community/kinship to the land and each other.
ABOUT COLLECTION MANAGEMENT
Since CFMDC’s founding in 1967, our collection of analogue films has remained an important and active space for artist-made moving image in Canada, including 16mm, 35mm and (s)8mm works.
There are 5000+ analogue titles currently in distribution in our historic collection. While many of these films have also been scanned and digitized for exhibition, a few titles remain available in their original format.
Through preservation, providing proper care, and circulation, we ensure that analogue films remain accessible despite the vulnerability of their material.
Our collections team is available to check and confirm the availability of films and their various exhibition formats. If you are in Toronto, you can also request to preview analogue works in our cinema-space – CineCycle.
We are happy to provide a space for those interested in previewing analogue works in person. CFMDC’s collection spans over 5000 titles which are available to preview for educators, curators, programmers, galleries, or anyone looking to showcase independent films. Our specialization in Experimental, Queer, Documentary, and Animated films encompasses historical and contemporary works.
Preview sessions are only available during working hours – Monday-Thursday.
Email bookings@cfmdc.org to request previews.
