miscellaneous

The JSF is a quarterly DVD featuring exceptional, peer-reviewed short films. To date, the JSF has published over 80 filmmakers from 10 countries. Volume 8 includes the Journal’s first films from Romania and Iran.

Volume 8 covers more ground than most previous volumes, walking through fields in Romania, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in 1899, busing the streets of San Francisco, and touring a prehistoric site in Mexico. But this collection of 11 films continues the Journal’s policy of diversity, and other settings range from urban Iran to a sheep farm to a morgue to a birthing room full of surprises.

The Journal continues to have a free and open submissions process. Submissions should be sent to The JSF, PO Box 8217, Columbus, OH 43201, USA. The Journal also remains ad-free, committed to independent and underrepresented work, and insistent that art and entertainment are not mutually exclusive.

Following is a list of the films in Volume 8:

1. LAMPA CU CACIULA (THE TUBE WITH A HAT) – Radu Jude [Romania] (2006, 23:00) A father and son carry their TV set to the city to have it fixed before the afternoon movie.
2. THE BOY IN THE AIR – Lyn Elliot (2005, 2:00) An enigmatic advertisement inspires a letter. The corporation writes back.
3. MANUELLE LABOR – Marie Losier (2007, 10:00) A collaboration with Guy Maddin leads to a birthing scene unlike any other.
4. ART/WORK – Avram Dodson (2006, 5:00) A realistic look at the relationship between the artist and the day job.
5. FLIP-FILM – Ellen Ugelstad and Alfonso Alvarez (1999, 1:05) A staccato peek at San Francisco from the inside of a bus. Made in the tradition of Biograph’s 1890 Mutoscope.
6. MARDHA HAMDIGAR RA BEHTAR MIFAHMAND (MEN UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER) – Marjan Alizadeh [Iran] (2007, 8:00) Two men and a woman: it seems men understand each other better.
7. UNIFIED FIELDS – Brandon Walley (2006, 9:00) During a hot summer weekend in the country with my family, I tried to capture an odd sense of interconnectedness yet isolation.
8. OUTERBOROUGH – Bill Morrison (2005, 8:30) A split-screen extrapolation of a film taken while crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in 1899.
9. NOTHINGNESS – Arzu Ozkal Telhan (2005, 2:55) Nothingness is about resignation; an unwilling state of existence under the weight of insatiable humanity.
10. MARTIN Bill Basquin (2004, 5:00) Martin is a poetic portrait of a sheep shearer and his philosophical musings on rural life.
11. TO THE SOUTH WAS 72 – Sabine Gruffat (2005, 11:00) “A personal guided tour of the largest prehistoric city north of Mexico.” -Anonymous

I got on the train at 6.36 this morning. I found an empty seat. As soon as I sat I closed my eyes tried to ignore I was on the train but in my semi-comfortable bed instead. The guy sitting nearby, who was obviously sleeping as well leaned towards me. I moved angrily to state that it was my territory and he should go back to his seat. He fell asleep again and fell on me. Again and again and again. I, finally, gave up and put my head on his shoulder. He rested his head on mine, said my hair smelled good. We woke up when the conductor said it was the last stop. I usually don’t get off at the last stop, I don’t know about him. I took the train back to where I supposed to go. I didn’t sit near him this time. I pretended as if reading the paper found on the floor.

I was on the train going to work this morning. A guy jumped in and sat right across from me. He was dressed very neatly and carying a brand new wooden luggage, which he was showing extra care. He looked very anxious, anxious dark blue eyes. Perhaps a little angry that I couldn’t tell if it was because was still early in the morning or he had other reasons. Then, I became paranoid about the wooden luggage. I fantasized as if there was a bomb in it. It was only me and him on the vagon. I stared at the luggage for a while and tried to imagine how would it feel like to be exploded. I panicked a little but it’s hard to feel anything about a pain that you haven’t really experienced before. I’m afraid of going to the dentist because I’m afraid of that one very particular type of pain would repeat and I wouldn’t want that. However bomb explosion is not in my system so I just looked at the man and the luggage and tried to be calm, I even smiled at him for a moment. I told to myself as soon as the train goes to the surface he was going to get a call from someone and that would be it. And actually right after we were on the ground he took out his cell phone. I felt my heart beat went a little faster. He took off at the next stop, I continued drinking my ice latte.

It’s kind of weird, I find myself thinking about death very often, lately. I feel absurdly calm every time.