About

'In Paris for the Cinémathèque screening of Portrait of Jason, Shirley Clarke was filmed for French television program Cinéastes de notre temps (Cinema of Our Time) in a friend's apartment during a small gathering held in her honour (among the guests are Yoko Ono and Jacques Rivette). She speaks candidly about the "underground cinema," its relationship to the politics of protest happening around the U.S., and its negation of Hollywood aesthetics. Clarke see the U.S. heading to a certain crisis point—hence the title, Rome is Burning—and wonders aloud about the responsibility of filmmakers in such a situation.' Film Society of Lincoln Center

Screening with Rome is Burning (Portrait of Shirley Clarke) is the following short film:

Shirley Clarke and the Camera 1971

'Parry Teasdale, David Cort and Chuck Kennedy visit The Kitchen in New York looking for Shirley Clarke, and bump into Steina and Woody Vasulka who are overseeing a show in progress. A few doors down they find Shirley in her studio, dressed in white and full of energy. She shows them around, pointing out monitors and lighting set ups. Parry shows her an arm-mounted video camera he has made and bought along for her to try out -- the first time she has seen one. Amid lively banter, Shirley jokes about how one day cameras will be small enough to store on a wristwatch.' Video Data Bank

Ages 18+