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A series of films by one of the leading film artists of the 20^th century screens at Auckland Film Society from 19 April. Norman McLaren was a pioneer in animation and experimental filmmaking, and his work fuses cinema, painting, music, dance, folk art and graphic design.

Norman McLaren: Animation Genius includes McLaren’s Oscar-winning, anti-war classic, Neighbours (1952), along with many other famous and spectacular works. Also screening are programmes demonstrating McLaren’s key areas of interest – movement, music and politics – as well as tracing the development of his many amazing film techniques.

McLaren’s work is presented with the support of the National Film Board of Canada and will be introduced by Dr Terence Dobson from University of Canterbury. Dr Dobson is an expert on animation and author of the recently published book, The Film Work of Norman McLaren. Animator and Unitec lecturer Miriam Harris will also speak after one of the programmes.

The work of NZ-born film artist Len Lye, a contemporary of McLaren, will feature at a special screening at Auckland Film Society on 28 June. Len Lye: Art That Moves, a new documentary tracing Lye’s development as an artist, will be introduced by the director Roger Horrocks. The documentary premiered at the NZ International Film Festival last year and is complemented by a new book of the same title by Horrocks.

Norman McLaren: Animation Genius screens at Auckland Film Society from Monday 19 April. Screenings are at the Academy Cinemas, 44 Lorne St, Auckland City, Mondays at 6.30pm.

“Funny, fierce, political, erotic, bursting with the same inventing-the-form-as-we-go energy that you see in Elizabethan drama and early jazz… worth going out of your way for.” – David Larsen, NZ Listener 

Memberships are on sale at the AFS table in the lobby before all Film Society screenings. 3-film card membership costs just $30 and can be used to purchase full membership by instalments. Full membership of Auckland Film Society is $165 ($140 concession), and is valid for a 30-film season from date of joining, which works out at just $5.50 a film.

Dates:

Monday 19 April, 6.30pm   Norman McLaren: Movement, Music and Conflict, introduced by Terence Dobson

Monday 03 May, 6.30pm   McLaren the Innovator, followed by Q&A with Miriam Harris

Monday 17 May, 6.30pm   McLaren Dazzlers

Monday 28 June, 6.30pm   Len Lye: Art that Moves, introduced by Roger Horrocks

For full details, please visit www.aucklandfilmsociety.org.nz

Norman McLaren links

National Film Board of Canada: Focus on Animation: Biography of Norman McLaren by Donald McWilliams

Norman McLaren: Tireless Innovator by Marcel Jean