A brief review of some (not all; stay tuned for more) recent releases in DVD:
- The Centre of Modern Art Georges Pompidou has a fantastic addition to its publications with La Ville Moderne (The Modern City), a compilation of works related to the theme of the modern city with films by Henri Chomette, Eugène Deslaw, Moholy-Nagy and Peter Hutton, among others. PAL, 70 min., region free, 24,9€.
- The Ann Arbor Film Festival releases the third volume with a selection of the best films presented in its 48th edition. Includes films by Semiconductor, Inger Lise Hansen, Jim Trainor,... The first 200 DVDs come in a screen-printed matteboard case, printed by VGKids, and include a set of five postcards with original artwork by filmmakers Martha Colburn, Lewis Klahr, Julie Murray, Michael Robinson and Deborah Stratman. NTSC, 106 min., region free, 18US$.
- The Hidden Decade: Polish Video Art 1985-1995 is a book+4-DVD set published by the WRO Art Center that tries to cover 'a remarkable era in Polish art: an era when new artistic approaches were taking shape – an era full of social, political and cultural transformations'. PAL, 4 DVDs + 336p. book, Bilingual Polish/English, 490 min., region free, 35 €.
- EAI's DVD and catalogue Vital Signals: Early Japanese Video Art is an amazing compilation of video-art produced in Japan in the 1960s and 70s. With works by Takahiko Iimura, Mako Idemitsu, Toshio Matsumoto, Katsuhiro Yamaguchi, CTG and many others. NTSC, 1 DVD9 + catalogue, 162 min., region free, 50 US$.
- And what's probably one of the most important releases this year, the 5 double-sided DVD and catalogue set ETC: Experimental Television Center 1969-2009 is a gigantic compilation of the work produced in the Residency Program of the ETC during the last 40 years. Videos by Barbara Hammer, Gary Hill, Jud Yalkut, Peter Rose, Aldo Tambellini, Marisa Olson, Kristin Lucas, Lynne Sachs, Mark Street... NTSC, 5 DVD10 + catalogue, over 19 hours, region free, 50 US$ (yes, that cheap).