In hosting Michael Almereyda as a filmmaker-in-residence, Ballroom Marfa shone the spotlight on a unique force in American independent film and invited audiences to immerse themselves in an ongoing discussion with the artist through a retrospective spanning two decades. 

The range of Almereyda’s work includes early, award-winning Pixelvision films Another Girl, Another Planet and The Rocking Horse Winner, the stunning cult vampire movie, Nadja, and his acclaimed version of Hamlet set in contemporary New York (with Ethan Hawke, Bill Murray, Kyle MacLachlin, and Julia Stiles). Organized by Ralph McKay, the retrospective includes forays into documentary — portraits of playwright Sam Shepard and photographer William Eggleston as well as premieres of Almereyda’s most recent features, New Orleans Mon Amour, a post-Katrina romance, and Paradise, a remarkable sketchbook film shot in half a dozen countries over the last ten years.

Ballroom Marfa commissioned a comprehensive and spirited interview between Almereyda and the equally inventive American filmmaker Ramin Bahrani (Man Push Cart, Chop Shop, Goodbye Solo) that was freely available as a field guide to the excursion.

The schedule for Paradise and Back was as follows:

Friday, May 15

NADJA, 93′

Saturday May 16

THE ROCKING HORSE WINNER, 23 + ANOTHER GIRL, ANOTHER PLANET, 62′

Sunday, May 17

WILLIAM EGGLESTON IN THE REAL WORLD, 86′

Saturday, May 30

TWISTER, 93′ special matinee

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