The Cinematheque

Six experimental shorts and an engrossing feature by American filmmaker Bette Gordon screen in this program, a tie-in to my extensive profile on Gordon for MUBI Notebook. Through a series of interviews conducted in the director’s Tribeca loft, the piece spans from Gordon’s childhood spent attending Leonard Bernstein concerts and learning how to hold a camera, to her string of 1970s film experiences and the creation of her various feature films (Variety, Luminous Motion, Handsome Harry, The Drowning)—all the while pondering the question: is Gordon a quintessentially ​“American” filmmaker or something else altogether? —Saffron Maeve