Make it a double feature
4m together
A close match in mood and era.
More from JoAnn ElamSee all →
Pup BirthPup Birth
★ 8.0
Movie
"Pup Birth" captures the excitement, chaos, and tenderness between a dog and her newly-born litter of puppies. In intimate close-up, the puppies crawl around and nuzzle with their mother, mirroring JoAnn Elam's own affection for dogs and animals in general. The date of production remains unknown.
Rape · 1975Rape
1975
MovieDocumentary
Rape has three victims discussing their emotional, physical and intellectual responses, then and now, highlighted and commented upon by a series of visual interpolations.
Chocolate Cake · 1973Chocolate Cake
1973
Movie
The film was made in response to an evening during which a number of male members of Chicago's experimental film scene gathered at JoAnn's house and proceeded to ignore both her and the chocolate cake she made for the occasion. The film consists of a series of shots documenting the making of a chocolate cake, followed by a shot of JoAnn's sandaled foot stepping in the middle of the cake. When JoAnn screened the film in homes or loft spaces in Chicago, she would always serve chocolate cake as an accompaniment. Date of production unknown (likely 1973).
Shirley & Bruce · 1979Shirley & Bruce
1979
Movie
Portraits of Chuck’s cats and friends, as well as a self-portrait.
Moving · 1981Moving
1981
MovieDocumentary
Elam records several men moving boxes and furniture as they track across her backyard.
Light LeakLight Leak
Movie
In this footage by JoAnn Elam, almost nothing is discernible, with the exception of buildings sometimes emerging in the dark and stripes of orange light invading the black screen near the end. Like other elements from this collection, Light Leak exemplifies the type of cinematic experimentations that Elam was interested in her work.
Monterey '84 · 1984Monterey '84
1984
MovieDocumentary
Two women gardening on a sunny day.
Ala - Dad · 1979Ala - Dad
1979
MovieDocumentary
An outdoor gathering.
PopcornPopcorn
Movie
"Popcorn" begins with a teenaged boy reading from an unknown text inside a living room. JoAnn Elam is seen knitting, presumably nearby, before entering the kitchen and proceeding to cook popcorn on the stovetop. Each step is filmed in extreme close-up, with an emphasis on hands and tactility. This attention to process is similar to other films from Elam, notably " Chocolate Cake " (F.2011-01-0166). At the end of "Popcorn," following a flurry of light leak and mis-aligned optical printing, the boy happily eats the popped and seasoned kernels. The exact date of production remains unknown.
Michigan · 1976Michigan
1976
MovieDocumentary
Farm work and nature.
![[Garden & Joe]](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w342/yQ7OmoOPqjD3gIC6hRehYBFnKYl.jpg)
[Garden & Joe] · 1980[Garden & Joe]
1980
Movie
Gardening was an essential part of Elam’s life; she not only tended to her own, quite impressive, backyard garden, she also attained the status of Master Gardener and then helped Chicago communities develop gardens and landscape neighborhoods. Elam’s garden features prominently in many of her films, and here is captured with devotion and blended beautifully, through use of double exposure, with other elements of her home.
Landscape · 1973Landscape
1973
MovieDocumentary
Chicago streets.
Sanibel · 1978Sanibel
1978
Movie
8mm. experimental film shot by JoAnn Elam in Sanibel, Florida.
Windows · 1984Windows
1984
MovieDocumentary
Contrasting environments, in and outside.
Backyard WinterBackyard Winter
MovieDocumentary
Consists of frantic and (mostly) uninformative pans sprinting across Elam's lawn.
Sprockets · 1976Sprockets
1976
MovieDocumentary
Sprocket holes moving across the screen.
More Like This
Roundhay Garden Scene · 1888Roundhay Garden Scene
★ 6.51888
MovieDocumentary
The earliest surviving motion-picture film, and believed to be one of the very first moving images ever created, was shot by Louis Aimé Augustin Le Prince using the LPCCP Type-1 MkII single-lens camera. It was taken on paper-based photographic film in the garden of Oakwood Grange, the Whitley family house in Roundhay, Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire (UK), on 14 October 1888. The film shows Adolphe Le Prince (Le Prince’s son), Mrs. Sarah Whitley (Le Prince’s mother-in-law), Joseph Whitley, and Miss Harriet Hartley walking around in circles, laughing to themselves, and staying within the area framed by the camera. Roundhay Garden Scene is often associated with a recording speed of around 12 frames per second and runs for about 2 to 3 seconds.
Carmencita · 1894Carmencita
★ 5.21894
MovieDocumentary
The first woman to appear in front of an Edison motion picture camera and possibly the first woman to appear in a motion picture within the United States. In the film, Carmencita is recorded going through a routine she had been performing at Koster & Bial's in New York since February 1890.
