The spirited, campy, avant-garde Gonzoriffic Underground Movie Show is taking place at Ciné for its 16th screening this weekend, Nov. 8–9. For those who can’t make it in person, an encore screening will be live streamed on YouTube on Nov. 10.
Three years ago Gonzoriffic celebrated 20 years of producing experimental films that are feminist and queer-centric, and this year marks another 20-year milestone of public screenings. Founder Andrew Shearer says that when Gonzoriffic started, it was before YouTube or a homemade/indie movie community in Georgia existed. Initially the collective reached its community by mailing tapes for open calls around the world and flying to conventions within the U.S., which was costly. In 2004 Danielle Rusk of Film Athens invited Gonzoriffic to participate in a midnight showing at her Sprockets music video program during AthFest.
The horror comedy PsychoVixens, filmed in an apartment off of Oak Street, was screened that night as Gonzoriffic’s first Athens appearance—a movie that had ironically already screened in both Germany and Scotland. As a nod to this anniversary, PsychoVixens will be a part of this weekend’s programming.
“That was my introduction to Athens, and because I’m from Atlanta I always felt on the outside of everything artistic that was going on here,” says Shearer. “That changed everything. To me, I felt accepted.”
Although a lot of “weird art” was taking place in Athens, there was a hole in the underground movie scene, explains Shearer, and so Gonzorrific officially filled that space as it gained local support. Kamala Lyons, who booked Ciné at the time, gave Gonzorrific a home for its annual movie show 16 years ago. This relationship has persisted thanks to Ciné’s commitment to sharing locally made art. Shearer says that he’s spent time in L.A. and New York City and low-budget filmmakers there are envious of what’s happening in Athens. Having an art house cinema like Ciné is a blessing for creatives because it provides more accessibility.
“I want people to be inspired by this, but I also want people to feel like it’s a place where we’re not playing by the rules of movies by men and for men,” says Shearer. “Yeah, I am one. But I realize that that’s a position of privilege, so I want to use it to be an accessory to all the queer crime I possibly can.”
The featured films in this year’s show were produced by more women and queer filmmakers than ever before, explains Shearer, including a couple of first time directors. Comedic and campy horror shorts take precedence with some old-school slasher footage as well, all unrated with a warning for gore, nudity and adult language.
Blood Run, directed by Kat Wood, is a “slasher in the woods, straight up backyard videotape horror movie” shot on a VHS camcorder found by fellow Gonzoriffic director Clara Mongoose. Actress Batsy, featured on the event’s poster, plays the title character. Shearer says that Batsy had the idea for a more traditional slasher, and it became a group effort to make it happen.
Ass:Off, a play on the John Travolta and Nicolas Cage movie Face/Off, was an idea brought to Shearer by local burlesque performer Glynis Prawns. Although the idea itself is a funny gag, Shearer went to work on a script with a full story.
“I’m not going to write an empty story. You know, that’s just for shock. It’s going to have something to it. I’m a dad, right? I’m a friend to a lot of folks. I want them to know that when they read, ‘Gonzoriffic makes feminist movies,’ they’re going to come and they’re going to see that in there,” says Shearer.
The Same Bitch as Last Time is directed by Kate Luther, a student at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. She had created an art installation inspired by her great grandmother, whom she never met, that was a recreation of what she thought her great grandmother’s bedroom might look like. So the Gonzoriffic team worked with Luther to use the installation as a movie set. The installation itself was set up at a loading dock in a way that, when the doors were opened, light poured in, so no extra setup was required.
As Athena Studios expands Athens’ relation to the film industry and draws larger budget productions, Gonzoriffic’s role as an underground film collective is just as important as ever in its more than 20 years. Cult movies and midnight movies have always existed, and Shearer explains the “people that do give a crap about it, they love it intensely.” Underground is an important distinction from indie, says Shearer, and that’s where people go that are looking for something different.
For Shearer, Gonzoriffic is an open invitation to passionate people who want to direct, act and write with an emphasis on the love of the art over a professional resume.
“I see Gonzoriffic as a band—as a garage band. It’s just one that anybody could feel safe to join and be supported and have a contribution,” says Shearer. “It’s a cross between a garage band and The Muppet Show.”
WHO: Gonzoriffic Underground Movie Show
WHEN: Nov. 8–9, 10 p.m.
WHERE: Ciné
HOW MUCH: $9 (students), $11 (general)
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
This post was originally published on here
