Close Up

28 March 2017: William Raban: Making Films Politically?

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"The problem is not to make political films, but to make films politically." – Jean-Luc Godard 

Close-Up and Carroll/Fletcher present a programme of films by William Raban. Artist filmmaker William Raban was a central figure of the London Film-makers' Co-operative. Initially known for his landscape and expanded cinema works of the 1970s, Raban's films from the 1990s onwards look at the island of Britain and its people, in the context of the global economy and the effects of urban change. Despite the apparent shift in Raban's interests, his work has always been informed by a structural film approach. As he recently commented: "[A structural film approach] is especially evident in About Now MMX, which uses grid-like camera movements to create a cinematic map of the city of London. Perhaps it is less obvious with films like the Houseless Shadow and Time and the Wave, but nevertheless I see the methodology of using straight cuts and no special effects as linked back to minimalist principles. When making a film now I am always asking "what is the simplest and most direct way to achieve the desired affect?""

Sundial, 1992, 2 min, Colour, Digital
Island Race, 1996, 27 min, Colour, Digital
About Now MMX, 2010, 28 min, Colour, Digital
Time and the Wave, 2013, 15 min, Colour, Digital
Available Light, 2016, 9 min, Colour, Digital
London Republic, 2016, 2 min, Colour, Digital 

Each of the films will be preceded by a brief introduction by William Raban. The programme will be followed by a Q&A with William Raban, moderated by Steve Fletcher.


More info: www.carrollfletcher.com