Jennifer Reeves (b. 1971, Ceylon) is a New York-based experimental filmmaker working primarily on 16mm. She does her own writing, cinematography, editing, and sound design. Her subjective and personal films push the boundaries of film through optical-printing, film stock “mis-use”, and direct-on-film techniques (including hand-painting and sewing 16mm film). Reeves has consistently explored themes of memory, mental health and recovery, feminism and sexuality, landscape, wildlife, and politics in her work since the early 90s.
Reeves is also a mother, teacher, and blogger. Reeves teaches film part-time at Bard College's Milton Avery School of the Arts, The Cooper Union, Millennium Film Workshop and the School of Visual Arts in the Photography and Related Media MFA program.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
FILMS & VIDEOS
WHEN IT WAS BLUE (film version: 2008, dual-projection 16mm, 65-68 minutes)
LIGHT WORK MOOD DISORDER (film version: 2007, dual-projection 16mm, 27 minutes)
HE WALKED AWAY (film version: 2006, dual-projection 16mm, 17 minutes)
LIGHT WORK I (2006, 16mm/HDCAM, 8 minutes)
SHADOWS CHOOSE THEIR HORRORS (2005, 16mm/Digi-beta, 31 minutes)
THE TIME WE KILLED (2004, 16mm, 94 minutes)
THE SON’S OF BITCHES TURNED OUT THE LIGHTS AGAIN (2003, silent, 16mm, 3 minutes)
FEAR OF BLUSHING (2001, 16mm, 6 minutes)
SKINNY TEETH (2001, video, 7 minutes)
DARLING INTERNATIONAL (1999, 16mm, co-director M.M. Serra, 22 minutes)
WE ARE GOING HOME (1998, 16mm, 10 minutes)
CHRONIC (1996, 16mm, 38 minutes)
THE GIRL'S NERVY (1995, 16mm, 5 minutes)
CONFIGURATION 20 (1994, 16mm, 12 minutes)
MONSTERS IN THE CLOSET (1993, 16mm, 15 minutes)
TASTE IT NINE TIMES (1992, 16mm, 5.5 minutes)
GIRLS DAYDREAM ABOUT HOLLYWOOD (1992, 16mm, 4.5 minutes)
ELATIONS IN NEGATIVE (1990, 16mm, 4.5 minutes)
FILM PERFORMANCES
WHEN IT WAS BLUE (2008, 16mm double-projection, 65-68 minutes, with live original music by Skúli Sverrisson). 2009 Berlin International Film Festival. Toronto International Film Festival 2008. The Kitchen, New York City. A rough-cut was performed at the Museum of Modern Art 2005.
LIGHT WORK MOOD DISORDER (2006-2007, 2-4 projectors, 16mm, up to 30 minutes) Live Performances with composer Anthony Burr include: Rotterdam Film Festival, American Film Institute Festival, The Wexner Center, Dundee Contemporary Arts Festival: Kill Your Timid Notion, Scotland, Diasapon Gallery, New York. Rooftop Films, NY.
HE WALKED AWAY (2003-2007, double-16mm projection, 17 minutes) Live Performances with musicians include: Rotterdam Film Festival, The Wexner Center and Dundee Contemporary Arts Festival (with musician Anthony Burr). Toronto International Film Festival (with musicians Erik Hoversten and Dave Cerf). Tonic in NYC and at the City Theater in Reykjavik, Iceland (with musicians Skúli Sverrisson and Hilmar Jensson.)
SHADOWPLAY (2006, 16mm to Mini-DV, 13 minutes) Film for dance performance by Ariane Anthony.
SHADOWS CHOOSE THEIR HORRORS (2005, 16mm-Digi-beta, 34 minutes) Commissioned by and presented at the Bard Music Festival with the American Symphony Orchestra's Performance of Aaron Copland's Grohg (1922-25, rev. 1932), conducted by Leon Botstein.
UNTITLED (2004, triple 16mm projection, 18 minutes) Performed for the Roulette Mixology Festival at Location One in NYC with musicians Zeena Parkins and David Kean.
SWAMP PEOPLE (2002, double 16mm film, 6 minutes) Performed at St. Marks Poetry Project and Robert Beck Memorial Cinema. Live film & poetry performance with poet Lisa Jarnot.
INSTALLATIONS
LIGHT WORK MOOD DISORDER (July 15-19 2008, Dual-Projection on a loop, light table installation of original painted 16mm film, The Drawing Center Gallery, “Drawing on Film” exhibit, New York)
AWARDS
LIGHT WORK MOOD DISORDER Images Film Festival, Marion McMahon Memorial Award.
THE TIME WE KILLED Tribeca Film Festival, Best NY, NY Narrative Feature. Berlin International Film Festival, FIPRESCI International Critics Award, Forum section. IFP Independent Spirit Awards, Nominated for 2005 Turning Leaf “Someone to Watch” Award. OutFest Film Festival, Outstanding Artistic Achievement. Princess Grace Foundation, John H. Johnson Award.
FEAR OF BLUSHING Black Maria Film Festival, Juror’s Choice.
DARLING INTERNATIONAL Sundance Film Festival, Honorable Mention. Cinematexas Film Festival, Cinematography Award. The New Festival, Vito Russo Award.
WE ARE GOING HOME Black Maria Film Festival, Juror's Citation. Ann Arbor Film Festival, Film Co-op Award.
CHRONIC Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, Main Prize of the International Competition & First Prize from the Jury of International Film Critics. Shorts International Film Festival (NY), First Place Experimental Film. Black Maria Film Festival, Juror's Choice. Charlotte Film Festival, Juror's Choice, Experimental Film. Ann Arbor Film Festival, Tom Berman Award for Most Promising Filmmaker & the Screening Committee's Choice Award for Narrative Integrity Images Film Festival, Toronto, Marion McMahon Memorial Award.
CONFIGURATION 20 Black Maria Film Festival, Juror's Citation.
MONSTERS IN THE CLOSET Turin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Special Mention.
GRANTS & FELLOWSHIPS
Renew Media/Tribeca Film Institute, Media Arts Fellowship, 2008.(FIRELIGHT SONG in-development) MacDowell Colony Fellowship, 2007. (WHEN IT WAS BLUE, LIGHT WORK MOOD DISORDER) Wexner Residency Award, for the completion and presentation of two performance films, 2007. Wexner Center Media Arts Program, The Ohio State University. (WHEN IT WAS BLUE) Finishing Funds Award from Experimental Television Center, supported by the Electronic Media and Film Program at the New York State Council on the Arts. (WHEN IT WAS BLUE) New York State Council on the Arts Grant, 2003. (THE TIME WE KILLED) Princess Grace Award Grant, 2000. (HE WALKED AWAY, THE TIME WE KILLED) Andrea Frank Foundation Grant, 1999. (THE TIME WE KILLED) Jacob Javits Fellowship for Graduate Study, 1997-2001. University of California, San Diego. Eastman Scholarship Grant, 1998. (FEAR OF BLUSHING) Waggaman Film Completion Grant, 1998. (WE ARE GOING HOME) UCSD Research Grant, 1999. (DARLING INTERNATIONAL) Jerome Foundation Production Grant, 1995. (CHRONIC)
SELECTED VISITING ARTIST SCREENINGS
Museum of Modern Art, New York. AFI Film Festival. San Francisco Cinematheque. Robert Flaherty Seminar. George Eastman House, Rochester. FAMU Film Academy, Prague. Cornell Cinema, Ithaca. Wexner Center for the Arts. Cinematheque Ontario. Art Institute of Chicago. Princeton University. University of the Arts, Philadelphia. California Institute of the Arts. University of Southern California. University of Colorado, Boulder. Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley. Hampshire College, Amherst. The Pleasure Dome, Toronto. Massachusetts College of Arts. Ithaca College. Chapin School, New York. The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Chicago Filmmakers. Cleveland Cinematheque. Colorado College. Artists’ Space Gallery, NY. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Film Forum, Los Angeles. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. SUNY Binghampton. Hallwalls Art Center, Buffalo.