WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — On Thursday, Oct. 9 at 6 pm, the Clark Art Institute presents a screening of "The Five Obstructions," the next in a series of films celebrating Mariel Capanna's yearlong public spaces installation Giornata. 

 

The screening takes place in the Manton Research Center auditorium.

 

Inspired by Capanna's practice of imposing time constraints upon herself while painting, this five-part series showcases films by directors who worked within time constraints.

 

According to a press release:

 

One of the great films about filmmaking, The Five Obstructions (2003) is a reflexive marvel of cinematic problem solving. In 1967, Jørgen Leth made The Perfect Human, a short anthropological comedy, which became a favorite of the young Lars von Trier. Decades later, von Trier came to Leth with an offer he couldn't refuse: he would produce five remakes of Perfect Human, each to be directed by Leth according to von Trier's diktat. The heart and soul of the film comes in their interactions: they meet, review the previous effort, and lay down the rules for the next. Von Trier's ruthless instinct for his collaborator's soft spots may be sadistic, but it's vastly entertaining. When he really wants to punish Leth, he gives him complete freedom. (Run time: 1 hour, 30 minutes)

 

All films in this series are free and screened on select Thursdays at 6 pm. Accessible seats available; for information, call 413 458 0524.