Films by Warren Sonbert

In the archive, condition reports are used to monitor the ongoing changes in film prints, documenting their gradual transformation over time. In this series, filmmaker Juan González shares moments of discovery from his work inspecting prints in the Arsenal collection.
This edition of the series, accompanying the inaugural Kino 16 workshop, presents a selection of films by Warren Sonbert, whose work embodies the spirit of personal and experimental filmmaking at the heart of the workshop.
Often associated with the diary film, Sonbert pushed the form in a singular direction through his distinctive use of composition and montage. His films begin with the personal but expand outward, tracing the multitude of energies that pass through a life attuned to the wavelengths of a shared world.
The screening also forms part of an ongoing tribute to Alf Bold, a longtime champion of experimental film at Arsenal, who had a special affinity for Sonbert’s work and helped keep it present within the institution. (Juan González Monroy)

Films:
Hall of Mirrors USA 1966 16 mm OV 7 min.
The Cup and the Lip USA 1986 16 mm silent 21 min.
Friendly Witness USA 1989 16 mm without dialogue 30 min.