Warren Sonbert's HOLIDAY Plays in Chicago In "Tone Glow Presents Pop Music as Prismatic Utopia"

This Friday, April 19th, at 7pm, writer and programmer Joshua Minsoo Kim will screen Warren Sonbert’s FRIENDLY WITNESS in the second film program presented by his experimental music newsletter Tone Glow, titled Pop Music in Prismatic Utopia. The program will play at Chicago’s Sweet Void Cinema, a production company and microcinema located in Humboldt Park.

As described in Kim’s program notes: “Pop Music in Prismatic Utopia will highlight avant-garde films that show a deep appreciation for pop music qua pop music. These films use pop songs as conduits to reveal and expand aspects of personal identity, to capture the spirit of specific people and places, and to embody something universal about the human experience.”

STILL: WARREN SONBERT’S FRIENDLY WITNESS (1989). SOURCE: DUKE EXPERIMENTAL FILM SOCIETY.

FRIENDLY WITNESS, which closes Kim’s program, will be projected on 16mm, courtesy Canyon Cinema and GME. Also featured in Kim’s program are Sadie Benning’s JOLLIES (1990), Betzy Bromberg’s PETIT MAL (1977), Chick Strand’s ANGEL BLUE SWEET WINGS (1966), Thom Andersen’s OLIVIA’S PLACE (1974), and Bruce Baillie’s ALL MY LIFE (1966).

GME is proud to represent the work and legacy of Sonbert, whose films — as evidenced by Kim’s program and a number of other screenings and retrospectives within recent years — have been experiencing a renaissance. FRIENDLY WITNESS, in particular, is a significant title in Sonbert’s oeuvre, as it demarcates his return to sound after many years of making silent montage films. As noted by GME President Jon Gartenberg:

In FRIENDLY WITNESS, Sonbert returned, after 20 years, to sound. In the first section of the film, he deftly edits a swirling montage of images — suggestive of loves gained and love lost — to the tunes of four rock songs. [As noted by Fred Camper:] ‘At times the words of the songs seem to relate directly to the images we see...; at other times words and images seem to be working almost at cross-purposes or relating only ironically. Similarly, at times the image rhythm and music rhythm appear to dance together, while at others they go their separate ways.’

To learn more about Sonbert’s life and body of work — and GME’s ongoing project of making his films accessible to new audiences — please visit his filmmaker page on our website.