Unknown Pleasures #14
 – American Independent Film Fest

The 14th edition of Unknown Pleasures has a strong focus on emerging filmmakers as well as visual artists working in cinema for the first time, with nine of the thirteen films being feature debuts. The programme explores the many forms in which the cinema can take, hopefully challenging our expectations of what North American Independent film can be. Visual artist Alison O’Daniel brings a unique and valuable perspective to sound and hearing in her film THE TUBA THIEVES. Haitian-American filmmaker Monica Sorelle is also here with her feature debut, MOUNTAINS, which examines the cost of gentrification in Miami’s Little Haiti. Bill Ross IV and Turner challenge ideas around documentary and fiction in their second feature GASOLINE RAINBOW.

We are pleased to be able to show works by filmmakers who have also previously been presented at previous editions of Unknown Pleasures. Joanna Arnow, whose mid-length film I Hate Myself :) was shown in 2014, is back with THE FEELING THAT THE TIME FOR DOING SOMETHING HAS PASSED, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. We are also happy to show festival staple Frederick Wiseman’s latest documentary MENUS PLAISIRS - LES TROISGROS.

The retrospective this year will focus on discoveries and celebrate the work of preservationists and distributors who save these films that would otherwise be forgotten. David Schickele and Eleonor Antin made just one feature in their careers. Both BUSHMAN and THE MAN WITHOUT A WORLD were restored by Ross Lipman, whose work in salvaging lost gems of cinema should be celebrated. 

The program was curated by Kristofer Woods.