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    Wexner Center Treats Film as Art

    The Amazing Spider-Man 2 marks the official launch of summer blockbuster season – a season that, like the Ohio winter – seems to begin earlier and end later every year. And while the multiplexes beckon with their brightly clad web shooters and mutants, there are plenty of reasons to remember our boast-worthy local indie film offerings.

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    Thanks to five major independent cinemas in Columbus – each the subject of an upcoming Columbus Underground profile – we are never in short supply of fascinating, unique movies. This spirit of cinematic diversity may be most obvious at the Wexner Center for the Arts (1871 N. High St.).

    The nonprofit opened its doors in November of 1989 and, according to its website, was “conceived as a research laboratory for all the arts.” It’s a mission that has grown over the years, changing as necessary without abandoning its main objectives, says Wex’s Director of Film/Video Dave Filipi.

    “It was envisioned as a multi-disciplinary art center, so everyone from the get go thought there would be exhibitions, there would be performing arts, there would be a film screening program,” he says.

    “I’m glad I came when I did, because it’s been interesting seeing the program evolve over the years,” says Filipi, who joined the center in 1994. “As the center’s evolved, the direction of the program has evolved as well as kind of a reflection of our position in the community and the expectations the community has of the program.”

    The Wexner Center offers a single screen theater among its exhibit spaces, with a projection booth, manned by local treasure Bruce Bartoo, capable of screening movies in any format.

    Early programming leaned toward the esoteric and challenging, Filipi says, while the center’s current direction balances that with material that is a bit more accessible.

    “We always want to be doing international programming, experimental programming, challenging independent work and documentary work that maybe wouldn’t show anywhere else in town,” he says. “Along with that, we try to do some programs that might have a bit more of a broad appeal, without in any way compromising who we are and why we’re here.”

    There’s more to the Film/Video department at the Wexner Center than what’s unspooling in their newly renovated theater, though.

    “Since the very beginning, there’s also a side to our program where we provide post-production support to moving image artists,” says Filipi. “It probably doesn’t read that way from the outside, but internally, that’s an equal half of our program. The support that we provide to film and video artists – it’s never been more active than it is right now. We have as many as 20, 25 film and video artists coming through every year, and they do lots of editing and mixing and things like that. Increasingly, it’s some of the bigger people in the experimental film world.”

    The Wex’s commitment to those creating film sets it apart from other film centers in town, but so does nearly everything else about the theater. From its curated programs to its projection booth, the Wexner Center approaches movies differently.

    “I do think we occupy this churchlike quality for cinema as an art form,” Filipi says. Part of that veneration comes through in presentation.

    “I would put our presentation up against everyone’s. It’s going to look better here, it’s going to sound better here. Everything surrounding a screening is as good as it can possibly be.”

    Filipi is realistic about a modern audience’s expectations, and sees that the market for pristine viewing is dwindling.

    “It’s not even a question, it’s just a realization that most people don’t care about how they’re seeing a movie. It’s just really sad, a whole generation of people who don’t even remember what it’s supposed to look like. To see a beautiful 35mm print, or even see a digital restoration – but something restored with a great deal of skill and care and experience – that’s how certain films need to be experienced,” he says. “More and more we’re seeing that as one of our roles in town.”

    wexner-center-film-02

    The films benefitting from this impeccable presentation debut in quick succession. The center runs on the once-common calendar structure, which allows them to schedule an eclectic and ever-changing program. With just one screen, the Wex can’t get locked into a lengthy run for a single film, as would happen for most new releases. Instead, Filipi and his team work to secure a variety of films.

    “Part of what sets us apart is that it’s a curated program,” he explains. “Everyone that works in our department has accumulated a body of experience. We know the field. I think, with people who follow our program carefully, there’s a level of trust. They know that if we’re showing something, one of us picked it and there’s a reason we picked it.”

    As a film curator, there are benefits to working for the Wexner.

    “We have the luxury of being a nonprofit,” he says. “We might fly in a rare film print from France or Italy and do all that it takes in order to do a screening or two here, and it might not even make its money back, but the people who wanted to see it get to see it.”

    He’s interested in bringing in more than just films.

    “No one brings in visiting filmmakers like we do – not just the volume of visiting filmmakers, but the caliber,” he says. “A big part of our program, too, is building moments around certain films.”

    The New Black, a documentary screening Thursday, May 8 as part of the Wexner Center’s New Documentary film series, is an example. Says Filipi, “It’s about this unique issue of gay and lesbian rights within the African American community. We’re going to have the director come and introduce the film and do a Q&A after, but also we’re doing all kinds of outreach to various communities. We want this to be a moment where people come, watch the film, and it’s an opportunity for discussion. That’s another big reason we’re here, to use art as a kind of point of exploring an issue in greater depth.”

    It’s one of many ways Filipi believes the Wexner differentiates itself from the multiplexes as well as our other local independent theaters.

    “It’s a place where film as an art form is front and center,” he says. “It’s awesome that all these other places have a beer and it’s a social experience, but I do think there needs to be a place where the art form is treated the way it’s supposed to be treated. It’s not just content. There’s a certain reverence for the art form here that sets us apart.”

    Here’s a brief lineup of what you’ll find at the Wex in the coming days.

    Thursday, May 8
    The New Black (Yoruba Richen, 2014)
    Free reception at 6 p.m., screening at 7 p.m.
    Yoruba Richaen will be present to introduce the film and participate in a Q&A
    Tickets are $8/$10
    http://wexarts.org/film-video/new-black

    Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10
    The Missing Picture (Rithy Panh)
    7 p.m.
    http://wexarts.org/film-video/missing-picture

    Thursday, May 15
    Cousin Jules (Dominique Benicheti, 1973)
    7 p.m.
    http://wexarts.org/film-video/cousin-jules

    Saturday, May 17
    Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, 2001)
    2 p.m.
    http://wexarts.org/film-video/ghost-world

    A full slate of movie reviews is available on my website www.maddwolf.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @maddwolf and like me on Facebook at facebook.com/MaddWolfColumbus .

    All photos by Michael Greenler.

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    Hope Madden
    Hope Maddenhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Hope Madden is a freelance contributor on Columbus Underground who covers the independent film scene, writes film reviews and previews film events.
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