This film is currently unavailable
Mothfight
A hand-scratched film on light, dark, insects and cinema
Overview
In conventional visual symbolic language, light represents good, order, truth and life. Dark represents evil, chaos and destruction. The moth in this film, fighting to escape the light, is a metaphor for the filmmaker’s personal feelings, which contradict this set of accepted symbolic ‘meanings’. The light bulb and the candle flame are deadly for the moth, whilst darkness is safety and life. Vanda Carter was working in the distribution office at the Co-op when she made this film. At the time, Stan Brakhage’s Mothlight (which this film’s title references) was the Co-op’s most frequently hired title, which meant Carter had to closely inspect, view, clean and repair prints of Mothlight all the time. Whilst Brakhage’s film uses actual wings of dead moths, no live or dead moths were used for Mothfight. It was made by scratching directly onto the filmstrip and using the Co-op’s contact printer to make positive prints. The soundtrack is an improvisation on cello, performed and recorded by Stuart Jones at the LFMC.
Founded in 1966, the London Film-Makers’ Co-operative started life at Better Books, a counter-culture bookshop on Charing Cross Road, where a group led by poet Bob Cobbing and filmmakers Stephen Dwoskin and Jeff Keen met to screen films. Initially inspired by the activities of the New American Cinema Group in New York, the London Co-op grew into a pioneering organisation that incorporated a film workshop, cinema space and distribution office. During its four-decade history, the Co-op played a crucial role in establishing film as an art form in the UK and participated in a vibrant international film scene. This BFI Player collection brings together new scans of films distributed by and/or produced at the London Co-op.
Related
Focii Focii
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1975 9 mins Silent
A female dancer performs in front of what appears to be a wall of mirrors until her reflection takes on a life of its own.
Emily (Third Party Speculation) Emily (Third Party Speculation)
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1979 62 mins
Filmed in a closed domestic environment, this film investigates the question of identification and point of view in cinema.
Tea Leaf Tea Leaf
Documentary 1988 8 mins
An intimate account of frustration and disarray in 1980s Britain from the point of view of a young woman.
Spot the Microdot Spot the Microdot
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1969 8 mins
An unprintable film, handmade by punching holes into an opaque 16mm strip.
Guerillere Talks Guerillere Talks
Documentary 1978 24 mins
Six film portraits of women associated with the punk music scene in 1970s New York.
Blind White Duration Blind White Duration
Animation & Artists Moving Image 1968 13 mins Silent
Interaction between a blank white screen and filmed snow.
Silver Haze - Exclusive Q&A Silver Haze - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2024 29 mins
Vicky Knight sits down with Rowan Woods for an extended discussion on the making of the film Silver Haze. *Contains Spoilers*
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.