Beginning in the late 1950s, a growing movement brought together independent film artists whose work reflected a remarkable diversity in style and content. Variously called avant garde, underground, and experimental, these artists' work shared a vision of filmmaking as a form of personal expression, free from the demands and constraints of commercial filmmaking conventions.

This movement gained momentum on the West Coast with the birth of Canyon Cinema in the Bay Area. Begun as a "floating cinematheque," it has developed into one of the principal distribution sources for independent cinema today. Its collection of films constitutes a history of the movement from the 1950s to the present.

Canyon Cinema first emerged in filmmaker Bruce Baillie's Canyon, California backyard in 1961. Films were projected from the kitchen window onto an army surplus screen. Free wine and popcorn were given out to the audience who came to watch the films made by local filmmakers. Moving to other basements and backyards, from Canyon to Berkeley to San Francisco, Canyon Cinema gained energy and purpose and attracted larger audiences.

Around the same time, filmmaker Chick Strand established the Canyon Cinemanews, a monthly journal through which filmmakers could share opinions, technical tips and discoveries. The journal became a vital organ of the growing movement. Arising as it did from the underground (literally, from basements, storefronts and backyard sheds), the independent film movement began to require an organizational structure that could accomodate the diverse nature of the films that had then emerged. In 1967, a group of filmmakers-among them Bruce Conner, Larry Jordan, Robert Nelson, Lenny Lipton, and Ben Van Meter-founded Canyon Cinema, Inc, as a distribution company. It was established as a cooperative, owned and operated by the filmmaker members. Earl Bodien lent the use of his apartment for this operation, being paid for only the phone bill, and he, along with Edith Kramer volunteered to run the business.

Filmmaker members wrote their own descriptions (and still do) of their films for the Canyon Cinema Catalog. The first catalog listed 40 films by 25 member filmmakers. In the years of its operation, Canyon Cinema has become one of the world's leading distributors of experimental and independent film dedicated to the support, promotion, distribution and preservation of motion picture film as an art form. At present, Canyon Cinema has 360 members worldwide and distributes more than 3,700 films and videotapes. Despite Canyon's dramatic increase in scale, we remain a democratic, artist-run organization committed to the principles upon which Canyon Cinema was founded.

The inventory of films distributed through Canyon Cinema traces the history of the experimental and avant-garde filmmaking movement from the 1930s to the present. Canyon represents the films of many established experimental filmmakers, and also distributes more than one hundred films by emerging filmmakers. These younger filmmakers - many of whom are listed in this catalog for the first time - continue to explore new realms of creativity, making significant contributions to further the potential of cinema as an art form. Through the distribution of these works by young as well as established filmmakers, Canyon Cinema remains a vital force in the future of film culture.

Canyon Cinema's cultural vitality is evidenced by the Library of Congress's inclusion on the National Film Registry of films by our filmmaker members Kenneth Anger, Bruce Baillie, Stan Brakhage, Shirley Clarke, Bruce Conner, Les Blank and Oskar Fischinger. Indeed, Canyon Cinema has become the print source for these and other comparably influential works which are regularly projected at diverse venues around the world.

Today Canyon's primary activity is the distribution of 16mm films and videotapes by independent film artists. Independent filmmakers, unlike commercial filmmakers or studio artists, rarely receive financial compensation for their work. The money that Canyon Cinema returns to the artists helps them continue making their films. We are the only distribution organization that has been consistent in the equitable return of artist revenues; more than 40% of Canyon's gross income is returned directly to the filmmakers.

Filmmakers become shareholders and have their films distributed by Canyon Cinema through submitting their work to the Canyon Cinema Review Committee. The Review Committee evaluates each film using a criteria of excellence based upon unique creativity and artistic merit as demonstrated through integrity of form and content. Shareholders deposit prints of their films and tapes, supply catalog descriptions, set rental fees and pay a nominal distribution fee. The films on deposit with Canyon remain the property of the artist. We are the sole distribution outlet for hundreds of artists representing diverse perspectives from a myriad of communities.

Canyon Cinema serves high schools, colleges, universities, museums and community centers throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. We have published eight comprehensive catalogs as well as regular supplements containing practical and descriptive information that are often used as a primary reference source for teachers, curators, students, writers and the general public. Canyon Cinema provides colleges and universities with films for their curriculum. Educators depend on us not only for access to rare film prints, but also for programming information and materials, which are essential for their research and course development. With the increasing importance of visual literacy in American education and the unfortunate liquidation of many public access film libraries, the continued existence of Canyon Cinema is imperative.

In addition to Canyon's extensive involvement in education, we are committed to public outreach through a variety of our programs. Canyon Cinema offers a comprehensive internship program that allows college students academic credit for work in our office. We train interns in the cataloging and preservation of films and the processes of independent film and tape distribution. The staff of Canyon Cinema provides the invaluable service of communicating information and programming support to many curators and educators daily. We maintain a 16mm screening room used by the educational and exhibition community to preview film for research and programming purposes. We are also developing a web-site which will include new releases and membership information.

Undoubtedly, Canyon Cinema has become synonymous with Bay Area independent and experimental film. As we have actively grown over the past 30 years, Canyon has chronicled the history of this unique genre. As with any non-commercial art form, experimental film requires an infrastructure that promotes, distributes and exhibits work. Canyon Cinema is one of the rare organizations that serves this function.

Dominic Angerame
Executive Director