FILM

Aurora Picture Show presents Supers: Short Films Inspired by Heroes. A night of music and film inspired by caped crusaders, masked marvels, secret identities, guys in tights and a passion for helping those in need. Bring your blankets, picnics and furry friends for an all ages show looking at the super hero in film and video past and present.

Starting at 7PM, Houston's Two Star Symphony will get everyone in the mood with a special performance of your favorite superhero theme songs. Then at 8PM, we will present a montage of short films and excerpts from vintage superhero shows.

The following films are included in this screening:

Technology/Transformation: Wonder Woman, Dara Birnbaum, 1978-79, 5:50 min
Explosive bursts of fire open Technology/Transformation, an incendiary deconstruction of the ideology embedded in television form and pop cultural iconography. Appropriating imagery from the 1970s TV series Wonder Woman, Birnbaum isolates and repeats the moment of the "real" woman's symbolic transformation into super-hero.

Nemesis, Stian Hafstad, 9:00 min
 Nemesis is the story of Arne (Trond Gil), who is convinced he has superpowers. He just hasn't found them yet. So he decides to put up a want ad for an arch-enemy, hoping that it will help him discover his true powers.

Hebring, Main Motions, 4:00 min
An Indonesian short animation about a newbie superhero called Hebring.

2 Scoops of Justice, Zach Lind, 2:40
It is the exciting adventure of Zach and Joonki. Two boys whose overactive imaginations have run amok as they play superheroes.

DJ Spooky vs. WebSpinstress M, Michelle Handelman, 2:35
This is an addition to Handelman's constructed persona series, "The Adventures of Lucky M." Here her character stars as "WebSpinstress M" a mischievous punk who takes on the culture spin king of the art world: DJ Spooky. From the dregs of outdated technology to the pinnacle of the superbrand, this is a re-spinning of the old spider and the fly tale. A wry look at seduction and art politics in an age of corporate branding; where art and self-promotion feed the timeless race toward fandom.

Superhero, Hanneke Schutte, 15:00
An amnesiac finds himself stranded in the middle of an arid landscape dressed as a superhero. He’s assisted and spurred on by a young boy who wholeheartedly believes that he is real. But as the man’s memory returns he discovers that he’s been anything but a hero.

Special thanks to Discovery Green and Houston Arts Alliance for their support of this program.

Two Star Symphony is Houston's most unusual string quartet. Composing and performing all-original music on a set of custom matched instruments, Two Star is dedicated to bringing modern classical music to new audiences and venues, and to collaborating with artists across different mediums.

Image credit: Nemesis, Stian Hafstad.