Still Imagining the Post-Digital Future
By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 18, 2006 5:26PM
Picture if you will a world without iPod or YouTube, a world where a superfast connection means 56K, and google is just another numeric term and not a verb. A world without Chicagoist. We know -- too terrible to imagine!
That world was 1996, the year that RESFEST was inaugurated to celebrate the possibilities of film and digital media. In 1996 the first DV cameras and affordable desktop video-editing systems were just making their way into the hands of filmmakers; ten years later these tools are ubiquitous. RESFEST|10 kicks off its 43-city tour right here in Chicago tomorrow night at the MCA. Its signature mix of film and video screenings, discussion panels, performances and incredibly unique parties continues through the 22nd.
The film side of things includes a pair of anniversary programs, three new collections of shorts, as well the feature film Rock the Bells. The latter documents the seemingly hopeless challenge incurred when a promoter attempts to stage a Wu-Tang Clan reunion concert. Also on the agenda are two screenings of new music videos, including songs by Death Cab for Cutie, Massive Attack, Tiga and Bright Eyes. We're pretty revved up at the thought of seeing all this stuff on a big screen with stellar sound and a hip crowd. It's much better than the way we usually see music videos -- that is, on the bar's TV with speakers the size of a fist and Mr. Mumbles for company.
The most highly anticipated evening of the festival is the special artist's retrospective, “Radiohead, the Visionaries: A Decade of Breaking New Talent.” Expect a hardy retrospective of their great audiovisual moments, as well as what the press release refers to as a “surprise guest.” Hmm. Perhaps since the quintet was unable to perform at Millennium Park last summer, they've devised a way to make it up to us....
RESFEST|10 takes place October 19-22. An all-event VIP pass is available for $79; individual screenings are $12 ($10 with a student ID).