Remembrance: A Portrait Study (Edward Owens, 1967) (Patreon)

The films of 60s experimentalist Edward Owens, which were rediscovered and restored not too long ago, provide a voice that had been missing from American avant-garde history for far too long. An African-American filmmaker who studied with Gregory J. Markopoulos, Owens provides a partial correction to the story of experimental film in the 1960s, a story which has been overwhelmingly white. Remembrance is a dark, dense film, with extended passages of absolute darkness. This in itself is telling. It speaks as much to personal style as it does to the limitations of film stocks whose color ranges are calibrated with the assumption of caucasian flesh tones.

Although the official title of the film is Remembrance: A Portrait Study, Owens' voice can be heard at the start of the reel referring to the piece as "No More Tomorrows." The main subject of the film is his mother Mildred, who is seen in solo shots and alongside several friends in a bar. The influence of Markopoulos can certainly be seen, as Owens works with multiple superimpositions, but they are not as layered or systematic as in his teacher's work. Rather, single images and still photos blink in and out of the frame like neon signs on a city street. By contrast, Owens' use of contemporary soul music and his languid approach to portraiture call to mind other work that was happening at the time, such as Kenneth Anger and Andy Warhol. In other words, it's obvious that this is a filmmaker who was quite plugged in to the scene around him. Which of course makes the question all the more insistent. How in the hell did we miss this guy?