About BALAGAN
The Balagan Experimental Film & Video Series was conceived in the summer of 2000 when the Coolidge Corner Theatre approached us with an opportunity to host a regular program highlighting local experimental film/video makers in their brand new Screening room.
The New Room was a wonderful complement to Boston's most treasured Art Deco moviehouse and a wonderful opportunity to present experimental films & videos in an intimate theatrical setting. As filmmakers ourselves, struggling to find venues to exhibit our works, we were excited for the challenge of establishing a new space for experimental works by local and international film/video artists who are rarely represented in Boston cinemas.
Our mission in creating the series is to promote films and filmmakers whose works do not fit into the traditional genres of the film "industry." These works traditionally, throughout the history of cinema, have been labeled as avant-garde, art-house, or experimental.
Although an experimental film/video often can contain or combine elements of traditional narrative or documentary filmmaking, experimental filmmakers, as difficult as they can be to define, tend not to make their films/videos for the "industry." Their works are made for very personal and intimate reasons and their visions and creations are uncompromized by the constraints of mainstream media.
That said, experimental filmmakers create their works to be screened, exhibited and experienced by an audience. Balagan aims to create a space where an audience can experience the visions of the artists. Balagan aspires to nurture and develop the rich community of artists working in film & video in New England and abroad. The series provides an outlet for artists to exhibit their works and to see, meet and discuss works by other artists within the community.
We hope to continue to collaborate with a variety of film/video artists and film organizations in bringing diverse and exciting programming to Boston and to introduce Boston's experimental film/video artists to the rest of the world.
What is BALAGAN?
Balagan was a type of traveling theater troupe common from the 18th to the early 20th centuries in Russia. Balagan as a theater genre combined elements of commedia dell'arte and French street performance. Cities and villages would eagerly anticipate the coming of the Balagan wagons as they traveled from one city plaza to the next, bringing laughter, joy, drama and a chance for people to forget about the ordinary doldrums of day-to-day life.
Curated by four Boston filmmakers, Balagan aims to rekindle the spirit and essence of the traditional Balagany experience. The Balagan Experimental Film series promises to surprise you with a different experience every time. Come and see for yourself.