This week, the Bud Frank Cinema is bringing a thrilling feature to its screen. On Friday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m., the cinema will be screening “Is This Really The End?” a Video Poetry Festival featuring two short films.
The first film is the 1962 French short “La Jetée” directed by Chris Marker. The film is constructed in chilling black and white still images as it tells the story of post-World War experimentation with time travel.
The second and last film in the festival is called “Vlog II.” This short film is the second installment in an anthology series, starting with “Vlog III” and will later end with “Vlog I.” The previously screened “Vlog III” takes place after “Vlog II” and demonstrates a world that has ended and been taken over by zombies.
The films were made by The Video Poetry Club, a film production company that originated from a Video Poetry course at ETSU, taught by Dr. Matthew Holtmier and Dr. D. Michael Jones. The two faculty members are now the producers under The Video Poetry Club and have created the three films.
“Vlog II” is a psychological weird horror set in a dystopian world run by a corporate leadership. The main character is a security guard at an elitist school who struggles with internal battles from her past while the world is crumbling around her.
“It’s definitely about power and history…How history and power sort of annihilate humans and human freedom,” Jones said.
The anthology films will eventually be screened altogether as the last film is released. “Is This Really The End?” is free and open to the public.
Stay up-to-date with all of Bud Frank Cinema’s upcoming screenings on their website at etsu.edu/cas/bud-frank-cinema.
