(Rocio Mesa, Spain, 2 min)

The land gives. The land traps. The land calls. VEGA (* Spanish): flat, low and fertile land. VEGA: It is the fifth brightest star in the night sky, and the second-brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus.

(Douglas Urbank, US, 8 min)

An arrangement of images in 16mm film, mostly from found footage, reshaped to create a graphic score, a curtain drawn and opened, an image concealed and revealed, a new rhythm imposed over an opposing motion.

(Ruth Hayes, US, 2 min)

The bells, or koudounia, that goats and sheep in Crete traditionally wore served as amulets to ward off evil spirits. Still in use, they also help shepherds know where their flocks are and what they are doing. Animated to a track composed of koudounia samples, this film’s abstract imagery originated in cameraless techniques that include stencil and bleach on 16mm color stock, and cyanotype.

(Mike Rollo, Canada, 7 min)

Fingers pluck fallen evidence of flight; placed and traced to make avian light.

(Krista Leigh Steinke, US, 3 min)

Shot on Super 8mm film, Midnight, Houston is a video poem that depicts, in mythic terms, a parent’s attempt to share with their child the beauties and depravities of the city of their nativity: Houston. A collaborative project with poet Nick Rattner, originally created for “Location: Houston Poetry+Film Collaboration,” sponsored by Aurora Picture Show and Public Poetry for the 2022 REEL Poetry Festival.

Music by Sherman Finch.

(Markus Maicher, Austria, 3 min)

Three continuous zooms towards a landscape are deconstructed into a discontinuous appearance of single frames. The panoramic view is obstructed, the organic movement of the hand dissolved into structural variation of the basic units of film. Indexical content is inevitably present on the physical film strip and yet lost in the structure of the film.

(Ans Mertens & Maika Garnica, Belgium, 10 min)

How can we imagine the resonance of a life that soon becomes a shadow and resounds as a slight vibration in its environment?

This was the central question that resonated with Maika Garnica and Ans Mertens during a residency at an elderly home in Antwerp during the coronavirus pandemic. This audio-visual exchange searches for texture, while the sounds and shadows take us on a journey along with our intimate thoughts and remembrances.

(Rana San, US, 1 min)

On my birthday I arrive at the ocean, previous night’s dream in tow. The film, wrapped around a circular glass pane, loops back on itself—exposed in the exposure under layers of sun-baked lemon lavender, topped with sand and salt water. 16mm cyanotype capsule of a solar return.

(Tim Grabham, United Kingdom, 5 min)

Celluloid film is reconfigured into a graphic musical score, with obscure narratives emerging as the film is reanimated. The soundtrack emerges from magnetic tape loops, field recordings, audio fragments and a DIY visual synthesizer.

(Jean-Jacques Martinod & Bretta Walker, US, 15 min)

A farmer discovers a fallen meteorite in the high Chihuahua Desert. The Alien Earth and the Earth Alien commingle under the spell of a deadly nightshade.

(Leandro Varela, Argentina, 2 min)

Inspired by the mythological creature Ouroubouros, this visual experiment attempts to use temporality to recreate the form of a circle through the use of moving lines.

(kalpana subramanian, US, 8 min)

A serendipitous encounter on distant shores. Colliding archives of body and place. Ominous scenes of a homeland’s militaristic pride. An incantation to freedom and belonging.

(Patrick Müller, Germany, 6 min)

The transition from day to night. It magically casts a spell over us, we glide into it like water and enjoy it. Despite all its dangers… it is the night we love.

(Sheri Wills, US, 4 min)

SEAM is a short experimental film shot on Super8 film that explores everyday hauntings, drawing attention to the margins of experience.

The Engauge Experimental Film Festival, now in its 5th year, celebrates the art of analog experimental filmmaking. Only films that originate on celluloid film are eligible for the festival. In 2022, Engauge features 73 films from 15 countries, showcasing a wide variety of experimental techniques.

Most films will be presented as digital transfers, but the majority of film programs will also include 16mm and 35mm film prints. The festival closes with a solo show and expanded cinema performance by Kristin Reeves that will deploy nine 16mm projectors simultaneously in the NWFF lobby!

⚠️ Please note: NWFF patrons will be required to wear masks that cover both nose and mouth while in the building. We are not currently checking vaccination cards.