Amir George is a filmmaker and curator based in Chicago. As an artist, George creates spiritual stories, juxtaposing sound and image into an experience of non-linear perception. He is the founder of The Cinema Culture, a grassroots film programming organization, and co-founder, with curator Erin Christovale, of Black Radical Imagination, a touring experimental short film series. George is currently a programmer at True/False Film Fest. In April 2018, he visited Minneapolis to discuss his film Black Chains as part of the Walker film series Imagination Is Power film series.
1.
HUGH MASEKELA
Hugh Masekela, the father of South African jazz, passed away in January. Hugh’s music has held a special place in my life and work these past few years. I started a band this year with my friend Jason Ogawa where we rework Masekela’s “Child of The Earth.” Long Live Hugh!
2.
I AM NOT A WITCH
Rungano Nyoni’s debut feature is a story of a girl in Zambia accused of witchcraft. I love how this film is shot and its absurdist sense of humor.
3.
PERSONAL PROBLEMS
Bill Gunn is one of my favorite directors. This year Kino Lorber released his lost meta soap opera Personal Problems (1980), a collaboration with Ishmael Reed. Starring Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor and Sam Waymon.
4.
KAIN’S “LOOK OUT FOR THE BLUE GUERRILLA” (1970)
This is the song I played the most in 2018. Gylan Kain’s poetic expressions has been influential in developing my own performance work. Kain is a poet and playwright, also a founding member of The Original Last Poets.
5.
ILES GREY/CONTORTING METAPHYSICAL HIJINKS
Iles Grey is a Chicago-based artist who designed a poster for a screening tour of my work Contorting Metaphysical Hijinks this past summer. Iles’s work presents a masculine abstraction that closely related to themes I was exploring in the Hijinks program.
6.
A MONUMENT TO INFINITE MOTION
I created this sculpture for Black Borders: Artists of Color, Reframing Culture, an exhibition at Fort Worth Contemporary Arts curated by Christopher Blay, which also featured the work of artists Anansi KNOwbody and Erika Defreitas. The sculpture is a monolith broken in half containing a two channel version of my latest film, Optimum Continuum.
7.
LAUREN HALSEY: WE STILL HERE, THERE AT LA MOCA
Lauren Halsey’s work is so black and beautiful. I’m always captivated by her use of materials. I had the opportunity to visit her solo exhibition this past spring at MOCA Los Angeles. It was truly an immersive experience.
8.
HOWARDENA PINDELLA AT MCA CHICAGO
MCA Chicago hosted What Remains to Be Seen, the first survey of the work of Howardena Pindell. I was not that familiar with Pindell’s work prior to this exhibition. I was in awe by her multidimensional practice. Pindell has challenged the decorous traditions of the art world and asserted her place in it!
9.
BLACK FILM CENTER/ARCHIVE AT INDIANA UNIVERSITY
I visited the Black Film Center/Archive in April of this year. The vastness of the archive was slightly overwhelming at first. I watched as many films as I could in less than a weeks time. It’s a place I intend to keep exploring.
10.
RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS
Terence Nance and his collaborators have created something special with Random Acts of Flyness, a new late night series on HBO. A vibrant multi-layered, nuanced variety show that does not fail in stimulating the imagination.
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