Curt McDowell
Curt McDowell | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 9, 1945 Lafayette, Indiana |
| Died | June 3, 1987 (aged 42) San Francisco, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable work | Thundercrack! |
Curtis A. McDowell (January 9, 1945 – June 3, 1987) was an American underground filmmaker.
Biography
[edit]McDowell was born in 1945 in Indiana. He moved to San Francisco in the late 1960s to study painting at the San Francisco Art Institute.[1]
After switching to the filmmaking program at SFAI, McDowell studied under George Kuchar, who described his footage as the "prolific regurgitations of an 'enfant terrible.'"[2] The two became romantic and artistic partners.[3] McDowell directed the feature film Thundercrack! in 1975.
McDowell died from AIDS on June 3, 1987.[4] He left his work to Robert Evans, who owned the Roxie Theater. After Evans also contracted HIV, he transferred ownership of McDowell's work to friends who established the Curt McDowell Foundation.[1]
The Academy Film Archive has preserved a number of Curt McDowell's films, including Beaver Fever, Peed into the Wind, and Confessions.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Pais, Clara; Fawcett, Daniel (February 25, 2013). "'Lower Your Trousers!'". One+One Filmmakers Journal. No. 10. pp. 7–8.
- ^ Anker, Steve; Geritz, Kathy; Seid, Steve, eds. (2010). Radical Light: Alternative Film and Video in the San Francisco Bay Area, 1945–2000. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-24911-0.
- ^ Anderson, Melissa (August 10, 2016). "Having a Ball: Anthology Invites You to Play With Two Cult Queer Legends". The Village Voice.
- ^ "Curt McDowell". New York Times. June 6, 1987. p. 36.
- ^ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.