Popcorn

Popcorn

2 min

"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.

Directed by JoAnn Elam

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Pup Birth

"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.

Shirley & Bruce

Shirley & Bruce · 1979

Shirley & Bruce

Portraits of Chuck’s cats and friends, as well as a self-portrait.

Covered Bridge

MovieDocumentary

A covered bridge and the nature surrounding it.

Joe & Greens

MovieDocumentary

Elam's husband prepares vegetables at the sink.

Light Leak

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.

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake · 1973

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).

Ala - Dad

Ala - Dad · 1979

MovieDocumentary

An outdoor gathering.

Michigan

Michigan · 1976

MovieDocumentary

Farm work and nature.

Rape

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.

Sanibel

Sanibel · 1978

8mm. experimental film shot by JoAnn Elam in Sanibel, Florida.

Corduroy

Corduroy · 1974

Abstract direct animation film made by JoAnn Elam.

[Garden & Joe]

[Garden & Joe] · 1980

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.

Backyard Winter

Backyard Winter

Backyard Winter

MovieDocumentary

Consists of frantic and (mostly) uninformative pans sprinting across Elam's lawn.

Bowl

MovieDocumentary

USPS workers go bowling.

Going Places

Going Places · 1980

Joann Elam captures urban residents on the go in various seasons. The film begins in winter, as JoAnn captures sleepy neighborhood scenes from her snowy Logan Square windowsill. This is followed by manipulated summer scenes of a fast paced marathon. Through light flares and in-camera editing, marathon runners deconstruct into colorful forms.

Country Mile

Country Mile · 1973

Experimental filmmaker JoAnn Elam guides (or limits) the viewer's eyes down a rural, wooded path.

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