Project Projection

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Austin Duerst

A person pictured through a filter of red.

A still image from the short film "Pretty Baby" by Austin Duerst, part of the fall 2023 "Project Projection" program.

You can see a wide and wild of variety of art in Madison for what we here at Isthmus like to call “absolutely zero dollars.” In this case, the free art form is local films — experimental, animation, dance, music videos and narrative shorts — as part of Mills Folly Microcinema. While the lineup is subject to change, look for Steve Chappell’s Ed Gein’s Musical Instruments, about instruments that were found in the old family farmhouse after the legendary murderer’s arrest; Pretty Baby, with music by Tyler Fassnacht; no mint in winter by Mills Folly programmer (and Isthmus film writer) James Kreul, and Hydk, starring City Cast Madison host Bianca Martin.

media release: Come watch locally produced experimental films, dance films, music videos, and narrative shorts at Project Projection, a free screening presented by Mills Folly Microcinema on Wednesday, September 20 at 7:00 p.m. Seating is limited, and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Curated by the Mills Folly Microcinema programming team. Free admission.

See past lineups from December 2018, April 2019, January 2020, July 2022, and March 2023.

Join us for an evening of experimental films, poetic documentaries, music videos, and animation produced by filmmakers who reside in Madison and Dane County.  Seating is limited, and doors open at 6:30 p.m. 

Titles subject to change, and additional titles may be added before the September 20 screening date. Below is the current lineup and screening order.

Spring Flies | Al Rasho | 2023 | 3:42

A video poem. Something I wrote 25 years ago, finally put images and music to in 2023. It's a personal poem about my stage in life.

Piles | Sean Welch | 2022 | 4:02

Piles explores the skills of humans to sort objects and stack them. For example, short-lived pyramids of woodchips near the filmmakers home in Madison, Wisconsin. The piles, adjacent to a prairie and walking path, became a new place on a familiar landscape. 

Pretty Baby | Austin Duerst | 2013 | 8:00

An after school special for the avant garde. Fresh out of rehab, a young woman spirals out of control while looking for her next fix. Starring Kaitlin Huwe. Music by Tyler Fassnacht.

Ed Gein’s Musical Instruments | Steve Chappell | 2023 | 7:00

An irregular interview with Ed Gein about the instruments that were found in the old family farmhouse after his arrest.

Hdyk | Alex Jacobs | 2023 | 3:59

A friendly conversation about what's real, desperately communicated through a heavily damaged signal. Starring Bianca Martin, with music by Borpis.

[Archive] | Casey Nieman | 2020 | 5:42

A photographic library of textures, colors, shapes, and forms. Featuring over 300 stills, the film navigates through intimate conversations between friends regarding self-perception, identity, and aspirations.

College | Casey Nieman | 2022 | 2:22

A frame-by-frame animation featuring over 700 photographic stills captured during my undergraduate experience. The film expresses the many positive and negative feelings someone may experience while discovering themselves in a new environment.

no mint in winter | James Kreul | 2023 | 8:30

Eight shots captured between July 2022 and June 2023. Static camera. Movement within the frame. Attention may or may not be drawn to the power plant; water glass; abandoned crutch; fire truck; snow plow; dart board; hallway window; security light. 

“Turn the Radio On” (J.E. Sunde) | Dru Korab | 2023 | 3:54

Turn the Radio On was created out of raw POV european tour footage shot by Andrew Thoreen, and using a custom projecting and filming rig to provide lateral movement, was refilmed around the SE midwest. Over many nights with hundreds of takes, we explore the organic nature of texture, motion blur, and color space as the projector shines through the scenes, objects, and subjects, building a storyworld out of place yet familiar. Contributors: Luke Magalsky, Sara Korab, Casem AbuLughod, Andrew Thoreen.

O Tired Love I Do New Things | Dru Korab and Brandon Jordan Brown | 2021 | 8 minutes

Chaos vs mantra. Everything is everything. Is this novel or familiar? Droning on and on, we walk the same path over and over, yet new each time, trying to make sense of repeated emotions and sound, picking up nuances along the way. A soft nod to Baudrillard.

Projected Pareidolia: Experiment 1 | Meggen Heuss | 2023 | 2:00

First in a series of capturing pareidolia in the wild. An experiment of layered motion and stills.

ABOUT MILLS FOLLY MICROCINEMA

Mills Folly Microcinema showcases nationally recognized experimental film and video art from the festival and microcinema circuit. We network with regional filmmakers and organizations to bring filmmakers and guest programmers to Madison for screenings. And we incubate local experimental filmmaking by providing screen time at Project Projection events.