12 Years, 12 Films

Over the past dozen years, Cleveland filmmaker Robert Banks has amassed a remarkable body of superbly crafted experimental works. Tonight, Banks introduces this special program which includes older short films and his newest piece, Outlet. Program approximately 90 minutes.

Recently, Banks and his work have been widely and well received. In September, he was honored with a retrospective at the BBC Short Film Festival in London. His newest piece, Outlet (2000), was invited to both the Sundance and the Rotterdam Film Festivals. And unlike many independent artists, he's even appreciated in his home town. When the Cleveland Cinematheque presented Banks with a full retrospective, Cinematheque director John Ewing praised his integrity and success, noting that while "usually people get into filmmaking because it's the hip thing to do...Robert can't help himself-he's a true artist who continues to grow in his abilities...The irony is that he is the local filmmaker who is most widely seen around the world."

Banks comes to the Wexner Center to introduce a selection of his films, among them Outlet, an examination of the image of women presented by beauty product ads, and MPG: Motion Picture Genocide (1997), a collage examining the racism, sexism, and nationalism perpetuated by 100 years of American cinema. The screening also includes titles from his compilation program, Rage against the Dying of the Light.