Arthur Lipsett

Arthur Lipsett is a Canadian filmmaker born in Montreal (1936-1986). He worked at the National Film Board from 1958 to 1970, where he was one of the few filmmakers to produce experimental films. He became known with his avant-garde short film Very Nice, Very Nice (1961) in which he established his style. Made from film strips salvaged from other filmmakers, the short film reflects the unease and anxiety of modern society and was nominated for an Oscar. His following films are made in the same spirit: 21-87 (1964), A Trip Down Memory Lane (1965) and Flux (1968) are collage films evoking alienation and the excesses of modernity. His early films influenced several American filmmakers, notably Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas. Arthur Lipsett took his own life at the age of 49, in April 1986, leaving behind a major and visionary work.