Bette Gordon, USA: Michigan Avenue (1974), I-94 (1974), An Erotic Film (1975), Webbs (1976), An Algorithm (1977), The United States of America (1975)

Paradise Theatre, Nov. 28 2024

MUBI presents Bette Gordon, USA: a program of six experimental shorts by American filmmaker Bette Gordon, as a tie-in to critic and curator Saffron Maeve’s extensive profile on Gordon for MUBI Notebook. 

Filmed between 1974-1977, these structuralist works present Gordon’s burgeoning thematic preoccupations (sexuality, mobility, and American national character) and her collaborations with American independent filmmaker James Benning. From the busy streets of Chicago to a 24-hour diner in Wisconsin to the backseat of a vehicle traveling coast-to-coast, these six works contort and relocate cinematic traditions. 

Films courtesy of Bette Gordon & Anthology Film Archives. Poster by Winnie Wang. Video introduction by Bette Gordon.