The films of Huw Wahl
Based in Manchester, Huw Wahl is a British filmmaker whose practice combines intimate narratives with the art of spoken word. With this selection, Tënk presents a series of three documentary films that highlight his artisanal approach—at times solitary, yet profoundly unifying. This series features three portraits of artists from different generations: first, a surrealist anarchist (Herbert Read), known for his influential writings of the early 20th century; then, a contemporary poet (Stephen Watts) with whom Wahl has formed a close friendship; and finally, Ken, an artist approaching his hundredth birthday, who is a painter, sculptor, performance artist, and Wahl’s father.
In conjunction with this program, Visions and La Lumière Collective will present The Republics (2020)—a feature film inspired by Stephen Watts’ book of the same name—on November 13 in Montreal, with Huw Wahl in attendance. On November 14, Cinéma Public will host the premiere screening of Wahl’s latest feature, Wind, Tide and Oar (2024), a film that celebrates those drawn to the sea, with paddles ready and sails taut. This three-stop journey, both online and in person, is not to be missed this month!
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Everything Lives
Duration: 48 minutes
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Part observation, part performance, and a collaboration between father and son, _Everything Lives_ looks at how Ken experiences time in the barns where he works; the time he spends playing, the time unique to painting or the time it takes to build a whole life. This short 16mm film is an intimate series of surfaces, sounds and events that together form their subject: the artist as father.
I AM A FILM
Duration: 20 minutes
Subscription access
Shot on location at the Low Four studio in Manchester, this film features poet Stephen Watts reciting his poem _I AM A FILM_, a coda to _The Liberated Film Club_ by Stanley Schtinter. Accompanied by the filmmaker who films him in a way that merges his presence with the recitation, the process unfolds through the use of analog material, close-ups of his face and expressions, and the grain of hi...
To Hell With Culture
Duration: 1h50
Subscription access
Co-founder of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Herbert Read (1893-1968) was an influential art critic, poet and committed anarchist. In his 1943 essay, _To Hell with Culture_, Read laid out his ideas for a civilisation based on cooperation in which culture would no longer be a commodity, separated from society, but an integral part of everyday life. In this film, director Huw Wahl engages in...
Everything Lives
Duration: 48 minutes
Subscription access
Part observation, part performance, and a collaboration between father and son, _Everything Lives_ looks at how Ken experiences time in the barns where he works; the time he spends playing, the time unique to painting or the time it takes to build a whole life. This short 16mm film is an intimate series of surfaces, sounds and events that together form their subject: the artist as father.
I AM A FILM
Duration: 20 minutes
Subscription access
Shot on location at the Low Four studio in Manchester, this film features poet Stephen Watts reciting his poem _I AM A FILM_, a coda to _The Liberated Film Club_ by Stanley Schtinter. Accompanied by the filmmaker who films him in a way that merges his presence with the recitation, the process unfolds through the use of analog material, close-ups of his face and expressions, and the grain of hi...
To Hell With Culture
Duration: 1h50
Subscription access
Co-founder of the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Herbert Read (1893-1968) was an influential art critic, poet and committed anarchist. In his 1943 essay, _To Hell with Culture_, Read laid out his ideas for a civilisation based on cooperation in which culture would no longer be a commodity, separated from society, but an integral part of everyday life. In this film, director Huw Wahl engages in...
