Cinema
we have a free screening of “young ali: those were the days” at Colombia College Chicago on April 29th, 6:30-9:30pm - click here to register
young ali: those were the days
this work is now fully public without a paywall, originally released on 06/22/20.
*note: headphones advised*
On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, the United States went into shutdown to keep citizens sheltered from the threat of a mysterious global pandemic sweeping the world. In this meditative days-in-the-life-of work, a small family experiences the fog of time from a mandatory stay at home order, as a strange, comforting togetherness forms in a very uncertain time.
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directors statement:
"three eleven" is a meditation. It is a reflection of boredom, of togetherness, of uncertainty, and most of all, stillness. It intends to direct the viewer into the granularity of life in its most basic, mundane practicalities, and thus, direct focus into the beauty of routine, and of the nowness, all while under the umbrella of impending & uncertain chaos, a lingering scent of anxiety as the real outside world experiences shocks unlike any other in modern times.
It is intended as an experience, hypnosis, and a reflection. The stillness is the message. While stripping the “narrative” of the filmic medium into its most minimal building block, the frame clicks out of “narrative” time, and into clock time. It’s a universal acknowledgment of this very “moment in time”, and we intend for this to be a visual/audio documentation at its most basic level while conveying the beauty of togetherness and separation at its most minimal.
This work is indebted to Ozu & Kiarostami, who oddly enough (the latter), and without my prior knowledge shares his birthday with our release date.
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credits: Shot & Directed by Amir Motlagh
Produced by ANIMALS & Charles Borg
Story by Charles Borg & Amir Motlagh
Music by Amir Motlagh (three eleven zazen) - BMI © ANIMALS 2020
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release date: 06/22/20 trt: 33 min original aspect: 1:85:1
young ali: those were the days has been nominated for the Cassavetes award and the Godard award at the Arthouse Film Festival.
you can still watch the film virtually till Jan 20th.
tickets avail here: Arthouse Film Festival
young ali wins "best indie film" at the Art Film Spirit Awards 2023. more info here:
you can read a first look regarding my upcoming feature film, “Young Ali: those were the days” below:
https://somewhatcyclops.com/2023/12/11/young-ali-those-were-the-days/
you can find info about my new film at www.youngali.com
it’s just a landing page for now, but will receive updates soon….
in the spirit of THREE WORLDS theatrical LA run at Laemmle Friday, August 4th-10th, there is a heavy discount on Vimeo on Demand for some of my work that is available on that service for people that are distant & or curious, or just chill like that.
not only THREE WORLDS but the 2018 sister film MAN and others….
this link will take you to the page….
w/ love & presence
THREE WORLDS - Film Poster
MAN - Film Poster
What I’ve always found amazing about Amir Motlagh’s films is how he deals with connection in a disconnected world.....As Saam navigates his life and relationships, we as viewers are challenged to consider what is art, what is artifice, and what we think our world really is - Jamie Toth
I was sent this earlier and since it came recommended, i read it. Truth is, I don’t read attentively what people write about my work because good or bad, my creative pursuit wants to remain untethered to opinion, & its wave-like aftermaths.
But, when i get the impression that a connection was made, I get curious. And in this piece, that connection was made.
The Three Worlds piece by Jamie Toth can be read here or here.
still from Three Worlds
“Where Terrence Malick’s Knight of Cups walked, Three Worlds sprints. Where Orson Welles’ The Other Side of the Wind spoke, Three Worlds whistles.”
truth is that i don’t read or pay attention to these things because the instinct to create in freedom gets cloudy overtime as attention gets diverted. this energy is not a forever thing, & doubt waits in the shadows….i chose to keep my attention on the gate that opens without much resistance.
you can read the full review here
still from “Three Worlds” - 2018
For the time being, I have four features available on the free streaming platform Tubi.
Just click to find WHALE, THREE WORLDS, MAN, & RAINBOW SEASON on this consolidated page.
I’m only slightly annoyed that some of my title cover art has been altered, but we move on….
film cover art on Tubi with slight modifications, lol
Just a quick update I was alerted about a few days ago. Four of my feature works are now available on the US Streaming Platform Tubi, including THREE WORLDS (2018), MAN (2018), WHALE (2010) & RAINBOW SEASON (2019). Like most of these distro services, it is time-bound.
I believe Tubi is North America only, but, VPN, maybe….i dunno?
Cheers & enjoy the beautiful day my friend….
It feels strange with the current world background to go on about living as if we are distanced from exceedingly unnecessary human suffering. But we are cocooned in our bubbles. If you’ve had any experience with war, you realize very clearly that the whole is affected, regardless of the degrees of separation.
In my own case, I have to go about my work, my thoughts & my attention the same as it was. Consciousness is an arrow.
Recent tings:
Here is a proof of life pic in web2.5. Not my current PFP on socials, but nevertheless, I breathe. With all this excessive talk of the transition to web3, there are more similarities to the past decade than most want to admit, yet, a new base layer of influentials has made a mark. With the soon insurgency of legacy media, safe to say things will look even more similar.
i exist, a pfp
In this fully doxxed web2.5 version of me, I get to talk about my new feature film in post-production. I can finally release the title, a proper doxxing if you will - "Young Ali: those were the days". Hopefully, we can finish the post by the end of Q2. I cannot be certain the film will release this year, but I would like that. Post-production at this stage is being handled in Chicago, and I am proud of our team, and what we have been able to create.
I recently released three works on OpenSea in my first collection which essentially conclude all my March drops. I have yet to transition to my other mediums, but I suppose I will in time. Cinema in particular is full of friction and doesn’t make the best transition over. But, we will hammer in the peg. We are working.
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March OpenSea Drops:
the wind will carry us, creature
edition 1/3
.24Ξ
Description:
in my youth, some of my favorite memories involved long cross-country trips with my father. this desire for the empty road, the expansive middle continued into adulthood.
little ape boi, dream (part 1)
edition 1/1
1.5Ξ
Description for both part 1 and part 2:
we are all little ape bois trying to find our way home. this little ape boi has yet to awaken. help him on his journey through the dreamscape on this starry night.
little ape boi, dream (part 2)
edition 1/1
1.5Ξ
Awakening:
Last but not least, Mirs has awakened for this new szn. New release imminent.
the bandcamp embargo for the recent demo ep has lifted.
you can stream “love in the great uncertainty” on your preferred platform.
A funny thing happened a few nights ago that succinctly describes the plight of independent filmmaking and the practice of sending screeners. Let me preface that with this; one of the most rewarding aspects of filmmaking in the true independent sense is the process of self-actualization, a partially controllable condition. Now, the uncontrollable condition (everything after the creation) is that the farther a vision strews from established norms, the harder it becomes to attract a certain level of attention. This is woven into the classic gatekeeper paradigm.
Ok, back to the first sentence. Nearly two years ago, Chicago Film Critics Association member Ian Simmons was handed a screener to the film MAN (screening at Chicago at the time) by a colleague, he watched the first ten minutes of it and shut the screener off prematurely, writing it off as not his thing. Fast forward to a couple of nights ago, as he confessed this earlier sin on his “Kicking the Seat Podcast”, and now proclaimed that the film had, “blown his mind” while dedicating an entire episode talking about the film. A massive change of opinion nearly two years in the making, done in a transparent, respectable & honest way.
This is the reality of artmaking and it is unavoidable when the access & context is not in place. One cannot demand that people pay attention to your work. But it is always the artist's responsibility to tell what needs to be told, in the only way that one can.
Time takes care of the rest, not in the sense that people will come around, but in the sense that ultimately, it never really mattered in the first place.
Here is the link to the Kicking The Seat Podcast in which MAN is given a positive, newly minted spotlight in the eyes of one critic.
And below, a link to watch on our preferred platform.
“mirs wonders into the desert in search of an old friend.” (links below to Youtube & Vimeo)