Fillip

The Unarius Academy of Science
June 9th, 2022

8:45 p.m.
The Cinematheque
1131 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC

Tickets

Fillip and The Cinematheque are pleased to present The Unarius Academy of Science, an evening of Unarius films curated by filmmaker Jodi Wille.

Manifesting a radical mission in the 1970s and ’80s, the Unarius Academy of Science spread its utopian visions of other-dimensional realities and the principles of reincarnation via wildly inventive psychodramas, which aired for decades on public access television throughout the US. Utilizing otherworldly costumes and makeup, guerrilla filming techniques, and ingenious no-budget special effects, this inspired amateur collective produced a legacy of some of the most mind-melting, oddly uplifting gems of American outsider cinema.

The Unarius Academy of Science is presented as part of E.S.P., Fillip’s ongoing series looking at the relationship between film and speculative modes of visuality.

In advance of the release of a new feature documentary, director Jodi Wille has compiled treasures from deep in the Unarius archives and provided a pristine transfer of the elaborately conceived, rarely seen Unarius film, A Visit to the Underground Cities of Mars (The Unariun Brotherhood and Uriel, 1977).

Join us in the Courtyard of The Cinematheque before the screening for a live theremin performance by Stephen Hamm Theremin Man!

Jodi Wille is a filmmaker, curator, and book publisher known for her work exploring subcultures. She directed and produced the documentary on the 1970s Los Angeles utopian commune THE SOURCE FAMILY (2013) and is in production on her new feature documentary, WELCOME, SPACE BROTHERS, about the Unarius Academy of Science. Wille cofounded the book publishing companies Process Media and Dilettante Press and served as editor of several award-winning books. She has curated art exhibitions for The American Visionary Art Museum, Deitch Projects, and The London Photographer’s Gallery.

Stephen Hamm has been a pivotal member of the Vancouver Music and Arts scene for over 25 years. He’s played in bands including Slow, Canned Hamm, and Nardwuar and the Evaporators. In recent years Hamm has shifted his focus to mastering the theremin, studying under the tutelage of German theremin virtuoso Carolina Eyck and New York-based thereminist Dorit Chrysler.