John's Upcoming Shows - 100 Solo Shows - 300 Films - "Top 25" - Biography

- JOHN'S NEW FILMS -

CFMDC, 1967 (2008) and Bowling in Manitouwadge (2007)
premiered at the 8 fest, Toronto, 2008

2 WORKS PREMIERED JANUARY, 2010

the 8 fest 2010 Trailer
(John Porter, 2009/2010, super 8, 2 minutes, silent)
shown before each screening at the 3rd annual

the 8 fest - Small-Guage Film Festival
Friday-Sunday, January 29-31, 2010
7 & 9pm, (Friday, also 11pm), $5 each.

Canadian Corps HQ, 201 Niagara St., Toronto

AND

Down on Me
(John Porter, 1980/2010, super 8 installation)
included in

up & down & back & forth & round & round
the 8 fest installations
Thursday-Sunday, January 28-31, 12-6pm.
Opening: Wednesday, January 27, 7pm

Fountain, 1261 Dundas St. W. (east of Dovercourt), Toronto

^^^

Ice Cycling (2008, 3.5 minutes, silent)
A new Porter's Condensed Ritual
of annual bicycle races on an ice-skating rink,
shot in Dufferin Grove Park, Toronto, February 17th!

AT

The 6th Super 8 Circus
New super 8 films projected with live music by GUH.
John Porter, Jo Dickins, Sabrina Moella, Anna Chen, Yousof Malik,
Joel Barnes, Judy Barros, Gabe Knox, Rick Palidwor, Alex Rogalski,
Marina Boldireff, Felix Kalmenson, Koom Kankesan, Timothy Rothwell.

Wednesday, March 12, 7pm, $8/5 (unclassified)

Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave., Toronto

presented by The 7th U. of T. Film & Video Festival (March 12-15)

^^^

Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre, 1967
(2008, 2 minutes, silent, live narration)

A history of the CFMDC's first location, at Yonge and Bloor Streets, Toronto,
in a building about to be demolished for a new condo tower.
Part of John's continuing Remember Rings series.

Bowling in Manitouwadge
(2007, 7 minutes, silent, live narration)

Beginning with an addition to John's continuing Remember Rings series,
a tour of the centre of a small, isolated mining town in northern Ontario,
then, in an addition to John's Condensed Rituals, time-lapse series,
John and his road-trip friends go bowling in the 4-lane bowling alley.

BOTH FILMS PREMIERED AT

the 8 fest - Small-Guage Film Festival
February 22 & 23, 2008, Toronto

An article about the festival in Canada's national daily newspaper
The Globe & Mail, February 22, included a paragraph about
John Porter's new film Bowling in Manitouwadge.

^^^

Holiday Train ( John Porter, 2006, 3.5 minutes, silent)

A Condensed Ritual (time-lapse / pixilation)
using time-exposures of a cross-country train,
decorated on the outside with Christmas lights,
arriving at night and stopping briefly for a set of songs
from a band performing from the open doors of the freight car.

Beauty: Film, Death. - burning film live, in the projector!
(John Porter, 2006, super 8, variable length, performance)

Premiere - Wednesday, November 29, 2006

at the Supermarket, 268 Augusta Ave., Toronto.

in the series Film is Dead... Long Live Film!, November 22 - December 20.
Premieres of commissioned films, videos, performances and installations
presented by the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto LIFT,
in celebration of its 25th ("Silver") anniversary.

^^^

Bliss is Over! - a history of Splice This!
(John Porter, 2006, super 8, 5.5 minutes, live narration)

A history of Toronto's annual Splice This! Super 8 Film Festival (1998-2006).
Commissioned by the festival for its theme programme - Over.

Premiere - June 23 & 24, 2006

in the group theme programme Over (total attendance: 250)

 at the 9th (& final) Splice This! Toronto Super 8 Festival

at Xpace, 303 Augusta Ave., Kensington Market, Toronto

^^^

Christmas Toy Lights Me
(John Porter, 2006, super 8, silent, 3 minutes)

A time-exposure self-portrait, using only the light from a miniature Christmas village toy display in the foreground. It's beautiful and funny, one of my favourites in recent years.

I shot it at home in 12 hours, over-night, just 3 days before its premiere screening, for which it was commissioned. I then bicycled it down to Exclusive Film Lab's night drop box before they opened (I love this ritual), so as to get it processed in time.

Also, I shot two rolls (Ektachrome 125) simultaneously, in two cameras side-by-side on tripods. Each roll is a subtly different "version" of the film. Two originals are cheaper and easier to make, and better quality, than one original and one print! I've done this before.
They can also be shown together as double-projection, maybe even 3D.

Premiered Friday, February 17, 2006 at the 4th annual Super 8 Circus
Super 8 films made for the screening by Brian Cram, Mariah Mills,
Chris Jodoin, Leehe Lev, Joel Barnes, Cris Rossel, David Eng, Jo Dickins,
Andrea Whyte, Andrei Tanasescu, Andrew MacDougall, Maggie McDonald,
John Greyson, Koom Kankesan, Stephanie Kern, Tuca Labihari, Justin Lovell,
Rick Palidwor, Andrew Chiang, Jennifer Newcombe, Shireen Seno, John Porter,
with live musical accompaniment by jazz band GUH.

Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave., Toronto

All commissioned by the 5th University of Toronto Film & Video Festival (Feb.14-18).
Thanks to the festival for providing all film stock, to Exclusive Film Lab for processing all films at cost price, and to Rick Palidwor for organizing this great programme every year.

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John's Upcoming Shows - Recent Shows - 100 Solo Shows - 300 Films - "Top 25" - Biography