You Can Take a Guy Out of Ohio...

Saturday night I decided I’d go to the independent film festival here, the BAFICI. Although I’m not usually drawn to them, I found two hour-long documentaries that seemed appealing. Plus there were tickets available (lots of shows sell out in advance.) One was set in Cleveland and the other was a French film-maker’s view of Buenos Aires. So I got tickets to both (they were timed just right.)

The first film is called The Golden Age of Fish. It focuses on an African-American geologist in Cleveland, the camera following her around through various daily chores, and also recording a fake public service announcement. This is interspersed with found footage of mostly two varieties: news coverage of murder/suicide stories in Cleveland’s black community in the 70s, and sports footage. It’s done in an experimental style, so the narrative is well submerged, but the found clips are extremely interesting and the geologist (who turns out to be an actress playing the part) is very likable. By the end, I was quite drawn into the director’s poking at layers of history and the traces they leave today.

So I decided to get over my usual shyness and introduce myself to the director, Kevin Jerome Everson, using our Cleveland connection as an excuse. He was extremely friendly, and we’re immediately gabbing away about the flats, Hough, Mansfield and the Browns (I faked the last part by nodding at what I hope were appropriate moments.) For an experimental film director, he’s extremely accessible and free from artsy mannerisms.

Turns out he’s got a ticket for the next movie, too, so we go together. Despues de la Revolucion was a poetic analysis of video footage that the director took of Buenos Aires during his first visit here four years ago when he was presenting another film at BAFICI. A literally naked self-portrait, as it includes the director’s hotel room sex with a guy he’d been corresponding with by e-mail, as well as his use of cocaine. The narration was Frenchy/philosophical, which contrasted nicely with the images, which were rough and non-poetic or touristic.

Kevin invited me to a BAFICI after-party at a club (Palacio Alsina) and even though the techno music was dreary, it was a very nice night out. I met Kevin again yesterday to show him around town a bit. Here he is in the Recoleta cemetery.


He turns out to be quite prominent on the festival/museum circuit, and his work is included in this year’s Whitney Biennial and he’s been shown at MOMA. I fessed up yesterday that I hated this year’s Biennial and we had a pretty good talk about it. He gave me two disks of his movies and I gave him a copy of Great Estimations for his daughter.

Now, when I go to festivals or plays or concerts, I often fantasize about going up to the director or actor or singer afterwards and hitting it off and going to after parties. Of course, I don’t usually do it and when I do, it usually ends with a friendly smile and a wave. So this was pretty swell. The lesson here is either that a) good things happen when you make yourself open to them or b) people from Cleveland are nicer than other people.