Glass Eye Pix Is Now A Classy Guy’s Pictures
Larry Fessenden Receiving A Retrospective At MoMA
Does the clever headline work? Eh. But if you’re reading this, then you’re already intrigued and that means…I gotcha!
It’s possible that more mainstream folks don’t know the name Larry Fessenden or his studio Glass Eye Pix. To be fair, most of the moviegoing audience don’t know a lot of names of various artists working on even their favoritest of films. But Fessenden is especially known in the horror community and indie scene. As well he should be. Here’s a 2019 interview conducted with Morbidly Beautiful about his career, ethos, and the like:
For over 35 years, Fessenden has been a force in filmmaking not just in the projects he wrote and directed but also producing a bunch of other titles, mentoring and engaging new talents to help them improve their abilities (and feel truly supported), and acting in many other movies by friends, former mentees, and industry colleagues—almost always being killed in these roles like a horror-fied Sean Bean.
Well now it’s his time to shine. In an incredibly classy way, no less!
Fessenden (who celebrated his 59th birthday yesterday) is receiving the full retrospective treatment March 30 - April 19. It will be partly held online, with screenings exclusive to MoMA members. Oh, the Humanity! - The Films of Larry Fessenden and Glass Eye Pix covers films that the auteur has written, directed, and/or produced (including shorts) as well as works by filmmakers that he has helped on their artistic journey like Kelly Reichardt, Ti West, Mickey Keating, and Ana Asensio amongst others.
Additionally there will be some premieres of narrative works as well behind-the-scenes documentaries about Glass Eye Pix.
There will be a a mix of in-theatre screenings/events as well as the online components, with a host of guests and topics covered over the 21 days. From the press release (formatting theirs, not Neon Splatter’s):
Along with Fessenden’s oeuvre, the retrospective will feature works by celebrated directors Kelly Reichardt (River of Grass, Wendy and Lucy), Ti West (The Roost, The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers), Rick Alverson (The Comedy), and Jim Mickle (Stake Land), all of whom made first or second movies at the production company with Fessenden producing, exemplifying the mentorship that has come to define Glass Eye Pix. Films by up and coming auteurs will also be featured, including Ana Asensio’s award winning Most Beautiful Island, Jenn Wexler’s The Ranger, Rob Mockler’s Like Me, Mickey Keating’s Darling, Ilya Chaiken’s Liberty Kid, Joe Maggio’s Bitter Feast, Glenn McQuaid’s I Sell The Dead, the hallucinatory I Can See You by Graham Reznick and the wildly experimental B&W-s8mm-Sci-Fi-futuristic-Robot-movie Automatons by James Felix McKenney.
A highlight of the series will be the New York Premier on April 2 of the latest film from Glass Eye Pix by Fessenden’s son: Foxhole by Jack Fessenden. Unfolding over the span of 36 hours in three separate wars – The American Civil War, World War I, and Iraq – Foxhole follows a small group of soldiers trapped in a confined space as they grapple with morality, futility, and an increasingly volatile combat situation. The film is remarkable for its structure, but also for its concern with classic themes of honor, sacrifice, camaraderie and cowardice. Foxhole is the follow-up feature after Stray Bullets (2016, also playing at MoMA) from the younger Fessenden, who was 19 years old during the shoot in August of 2019.
Along with the in-theater fare, the retrospective will also present an on-line program featuring the works of long-time Glass Eye Pix collaborator Beck Underwood, whose animated shorts will delight connoisseurs of the gently macabre Brothers Quay and Jan Švankmajer. Underwood will be presenting various films, including There In Spirit, An Exquisite Task, Perfectly Perfect, as well as Uncle Ben, which was made in collaboration with the artist Melissa Stern. Also on offer, select shorts from the Underwood-curated Creepy Christmas Film Festival: Glenn McQuaid’s Swollen Archive, Larry Fessenden’s Wild Ride and Merrill (along with Maud, Sam and Gareth) Rauch’s The Souvenir.
The online program also presents two behind-the-scenes documentaries about the making of the Glass Eye films No Telling and Stray Bullets as well as two feature-length docs produced through the company: one by Matt Kliegman entitled Markie in Milwaukee, a deeply affecting portrait of a Midwestern evangelical preacher contemplating a transition from Mark to Markie; and Birth of the Living Dead, a historical documentary by Rob Kuhns about the making of George Romero’s seminal zombie picture Night of the Living Dead. Also available online: the ambitious hand-drawn animated short by Glass Eye collaborator James Siewert entitled The Past Inside The Present. And there are other unexpected shorts and oddities from the archives: s8mm movies from the 70’s by Fessenden, collaborations with performance artists David “The Impact Addict” Leslie, and a featurette from the 80’s made with performer Heather Woodbury called Hollow Venus; Diary of a Go-Go Dancer.
Fessenden said: I am honored to have our collection of films recognized by such a venerable institution as MoMA.
While I get to have my name in the title of this retrospective, it is in fact a celebration of all the artisans who have worked under the Glass Eye banner over the years: the fellow producers, crew members, actors, sound designers, graphic artists and of course the directors and writers, many of whom collaborated on more than one project and in different capacities, in different roles, telling original stories that are personal and vital in many disparate genres and mediums, created under one production shingle with the philosophy that art matters. It means a lot to have our small corner of show biz enjoy a brief moment in the spotlight.
For more information about the event—which kicks off with a party at Posteritati on Tuesday, March 29, from 6pm - 8pm—visit MoMA’s site about the details and schedule. Also follow Glass Eye Pix on Twitter for any additional updates.
