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Our fine friends at Flux team up with another of our good friends as director Chris Milk joins Alexandre de Bonrepos and Chris Marrs Piliero to show off their latest and greatest works on film for Flux’s Screening Series at the Hammer Museum in Westwood. Also on tap is a retrospective of works by Swedish filmmaker Jonas Odell (award winning vids for Goldfrapp, Franz Ferdinand) as well as our pal Kyle Ng on the 1’s and 2’s.

Don’t forget to RSVP!

From the Fluxers:

“This Thursday join us in kicking off Summer with the Flux Screening Series at the Hammer Museum.

The program will also feature a mini-retrospective of work by celebrated Swedish filmmaker Jonas Odell, including his award-winning videos for Goldfrapp and Franz Ferdinand and the Los Angeles premiere of Tussilago, which won “Best Animated Short Film” at this year’s San Francisco Film Festival. Plus a few more surprises.

Come celebrate an evening of innovative films followed by a party in the courtyard.”

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Or maybe “Get Fluxed at the Hammer”? Either way, this holiday season the gift giving folks at Flux give us yet another stellar lineup of music videos and short films for 2009’s final Flux Screening Series at the Hammer. Featuring the world premiere of Mia Doi Todd’s “Open Your Heart” (directed by Michel Gondry and edited by my editing mentor Fernando Villena), as well as breakthrough music videos by Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck (dir. Keith Schofield madman behind Diesel’s “SFW XXX”!), Grizzly Bear (dir. Allison Schulnik), Ramona Falls (dir. Stefan Nadelman creator of Food Fight!), and Yeasayer (dir. Radical Friend) among others.

Filmmakers Michel Gondry, Keith Schofield, Allison Schulnik and Kirby McClure and Julia Grigorian of Radical Friend will be in attendance.

The evening’s festivities conclude with a special musical performance by Mia Doi Todd, Michel Gondry and friends.

From the Fluxers:

“As part of the quarterly Flux Screening Series showcasing innovative film and music, the Hammer will debut the World Premiere of Mia Doi Todd’s new video “Open Your Heart”, directed by Michel Gondry. The evening of shorts and videos will include videos for Grizzly Bear, Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck, Ramona Falls among others. Filmmakers Michel Gondry, Keith Schofield, Allison Schulnik and Stefan Nadelman will be in attendance. The evening will conclude with a reception featuring a very special live performance by Mia Doi Todd herself!

ALL HAMMER PUBLIC PROGRAMS ARE FREE.

Tickets are required, and are available at the Billy Wilder Theater Box Office one hour prior to start time. Limit one ticket per person on a first come, first served basis. Hammer members receive priority seating, subject to availability.

Parking is available under the Museum. There is a $3 flat rate after 6:30 p.m.”

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Usually on Fridays I post art openings, film events, and whatever fun filled activities are happening over the weekend. But today I need to shift focus to more pressing issues and help raise awareness and relief for the people who could really use the support.

Last weekend the Philippines was hit hard by Typhoon Kestana (also known as Typhoon Ondoy) which killed hundreds and left most of Manila under water and the country in a “state of calamity”. Now the islands brace for the arrival of Super Typhoon Parma (Pepeng) as it makes landfall this Saturday. I was happily relieved when I received a facebook message from my cousins in Manila letting me know that they’re alive and well but at the time of the typhoon they thought it was the “end of the world because the rains didn’t stop”. Others may not be as fortunate. Please help a Filipino out by giving aid through relief agencies such as these:

• American Red Cross
• Philippine Red Cross
  
• UNICEF
• Save the Children
• Direct Relief International
• CARE
• World Vision
• HISG
  

And like many other third world countries that encounter natural disasters, clean drinking water has been in great demand. Meg Wells of Flux has sponsored the Clean Water Initiative donating LifeSaver Water Bottles which turn “the muddiest, murkiest, virus-infested water into clean, safe drinking water.” Watch the company’s CEO Michael Pritchard make clean water at a TED talk here:

Click here to sponsor and donate clean water with a Lifesaver bottle.

Thanks for taking some time to help support those in need!

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The father and mother Fluxers known as Jonathan and Meg Wells continue to spread the messages of creative filmmakers as their Flux Screening Series delivers yet another stellar line up tonight at the Hammer. Featuring the Los Angeles premiere of Logorama, a spectacular animated action movie created entirely with corporate logos from renowned French design studio H5, the evenings’ program also includes new work from Spike Jonze, Jonathan Glazer, Chris Cairns, Shynola and much more.

From Juxtapoz:

“They say the average American is exposed to thousands of corporate logos every day. If that’s the case, then the new film Logorama directed by H5 has tons of content, as the animated action movie has been created entirely with corporate logos.

David Fincher does a cameo voice as the Pringles man/logo. The LA premiere will debut tomorrow night, Tuesday, September 15, 2009 from 7-11pm as part of the FLUX Screening Series at the Hammer Museum.

The surreal Spike Jonze short film We Were Once A Fairytale that he made with Kanye West will also be shown as well as Neurosonics Audiomedical Labs Inc. directed by Chris Cairns; Grizzly Bear “While You Wait For The Others” directed by Sean Pecknold; Dead Weather “Treat Me Like Your Mother” directed by Jonathan Glazer; Coldplay “Strawberry Swing” directed by Shynola; and Dix (ten) directed by BIF.”

Visit Flux.net for more information.

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Looks like Saturday is the big winner with many a good thing in this weekend’s stacked schedule of events for your cultural and social pleasures.

• The super producing couple of Meg and Jonathan Wells continue to pump out the goods as one of their most ambitious projects to date opens the Scion installation space in Culver City with the Flux Super 8. Featuring filmmakers, designers and video artists from all over the world including our ultra talented Portland pal Max Erdenberger, as well as The Blackheart Gang (Cape Town, South Africa), Saam Farahmand (London, UK); Sophie Gateau (Paris, France), Miwa Matreyek (Los Angeles, USA), Terri Timely (San Francisco, USA), United Visual Artists (UVA) (London, UK), and YesYesNo (Amsterdam, NL + New York, NY + London, UK), the promising Flux Super 8 show is sure to be the first of many more to come.

• And while you’re in Culver City hop on over to the Corey Helford Gallery and take a trip to India with the moustachioed madman Carlos Ramos as he once again dazzles with his trademark contrasty colors and sublimely shaped stable of animals. (Moustache subject to availability.)

• Giant Robot cleans out their closet with the group show Junk in the Trunk in which over 30 artists including Apak!, David Horvath and Albert Reyes among others, bust out new, old, and random pieces of art that need new homes at GR2 on Sawtelle. Bonus yard sale on Sunday too!

• The second shift Saturday night continues (or starts) in Chinatown at the Sabina Lee Gallery on Chung King Road with the group show Second Shift.

• Reform School, Home Ec, and the Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax join hands to bring you the Los Angeles premiere of the documentary on D.I.Y. culture, Handmade Nation. *Saturday’s 12pm premiere screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director, and ticket holders for this show will receive specialized gift bags and surprise giveaways! In-between the two Saturday screenings, during 2-6pm, there will be a mini-craft fair eaturing some of LA’s most talented makers, a “Handmade Nation” book signing with Faythe Levine, and hands-on make-and-takes (craft demos). Admission to the craft fair is free, and open to the general public.

• For my Bay Area brethren, Grind for the Green presents the second annual Battle for the Bang as bay area environmentally conscious youth battle with beats for cash and prizes at the Zeum in San Francisco.

• And finally end your weekend on a high musical note as Stones Throw’s finest continue to rock Amoeba Music on Sunset every Sunday in August. This weekend’s set features one of the Beat Junkies’ founding fathers, J-Rocc.

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Films about an inspirational pop art nun (including ours), a Karaoke dance party, Muppets and more Muppets, and of course art openings highlight this weekends highlights.

• Pocket wallet pioneers Poketo take over Royal/T’s this summer with their storefront pop-up shop. Tonight they transform the joint into a Karaoke Dance Party with our fun Fluxer friends Jonathan and Meg Wells on an esteemed panel of judges.

• The Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax has Muppets on the mind once again as they bring back last year’s sold out showings of Jim Henson’s mind-blowing collection of shorts, crazy commercials, and other rarities including the not-be-to-be-missed Oscar winning Time Piece. Bonus: midnight screening of Henson’s feature film The Dark Crystal!

• With the Lotus Festival on hiatus this year the Echo Park Community Fest has come in to save the day, or weekend rather. Fun for all with carnival attractions, International foods, and the music of the lovely LA Ladies Choir with the Chili Pepper’s Flea (responsible for some songs from our Sister Corita film-more on that below)

• Giant Robot offers up prints to take home when the group show of 50 plus artists titled Printed Matter opens at GR2 on Sawtelle Saturday night. Featuring Bigfoot, Buff Monster, La Merde, Saelee Oh, Deth P. Sun, Albert Reyes, Andrew Jeffrey Wright and many more. Preview here.

• Constantly bringing the goods with their carefully curated shows, the Constant Gallery opens Desert Sexy “a survey of artists originating from and inspired by California’s low desert scene. Along with work by Logan/The Date Farmers, Anthony Lepore, and Peter Sutherland, we’ll be having an opening night musical performance by stoner rock progenitors Yawning Man (pre-Kyuss).” Check the preview here.

• Girls go wild as the Honor Fraser Gallery opens Bitch is the New Black, an all women art show featuring “fourteen Los Angeles-based women who are all emerging or established artists from roughly the same generation and are bright lights on the local scene.”

• Another Muppety evet at the Silent Movie Theater Saturday this time screening a matinee of Muppet Music Moments which, as you may have guessed, is a collection of musical performances from The Muppet Show.

• And finally end your weekend inspired as our short film (Become a Microscope: 90 Statements on Sister Corita) about the life and art of Sister Corita Kent will be screening at the Silent Movie Theater Sunday night alongside two other films by Corita’s friends, Mary’s Day (1964) by Baylis Glascock, and Survival With Style (1966) by Cal Bernstein, Alex Singer and Haskell Wexler. Both of these rare films will be screened from their original 16mm prints, and Mary’s Day will feature a live score by special musical guests!

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Sorry for the late post today, I was a bit busy rejoining the human race again. The last few days have just about been the hardest I’ve ever pushed myself finishing a film, and I’d def do it all over again. Working with the dedicated members of our Corita film crew in finishing the edit, finalizing the animations, listening to the sound mix, coloring the film, and conforming the entire thing to be ready for last night’s Flux screening tallied me a new personal work record: work-90 hours, sleep-6, from Sunday up until the show on Wednesday. But with a drive to finish fueled by the work of Sister Corita and with the payoff of how well our film was received, I have to say it was all so worth it. Big thanks to Jonathan and Meg Wells for organizing another fun Flux screening and to all who came out and checked out our film, Become a Microscope-90 Statements on Sister Corita! Many more screenings to come soon!

On top of our film showing alongside a multitude of amazing music videos and short films, the LA Ladies Choir headed by Becky Stark performed as well. The lovelies were captivating with their two songs in this their second performance.

The Ladies Choir pt. 1 from chumpchampion on Vimeo.

The Ladies Choir pt. 2 from chumpchampion on Vimeo.

And here’s another film that screened last night, a supremely crafted short directed by Ace Norton and his new ’stache that left me sonically blown away:

Soundscapes - by Ace Norton from IE HAGY on Vimeo.

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