Director

Michael Snow

1929 – 2023

Who they are

Born: 10 December 1929, Toronto, Canada
Died: 5 January 2023
Known for: Wavelength, New York Eye and Ear Control, La Région Centrale

Michael Snow (1929–2023) was a Toronto-born artist who worked in film, painting, sculpture, photography and music. He is regarded as one of the leading figures of experimental cinema. His films, especially Wavelength, probe perception, time and the film medium itself, and helped define structural film.

Where to start

Wavelength (1967)Full guide
His landmark structural film, built around a slow zoom across a loft; a cornerstone of avant-garde cinema.
New York Eye and Ear Control (1964)Log in to add it to the library
Early film linking image and sound, with a free jazz soundtrack by leading improvisers.
La Région Centrale (1971)In the library
Ambitious landscape film shot with a machine-controlled camera that moves in every direction.
‘Rameau’s Nephew’ by Diderot (Thanx to Dennis Young) by Wilma Schoen (1974)Log in to add it to the library
Sprawling, witty work exploring language, sound and image across a series of sections.
So Is This (1982)Log in to add it to the library
Film made entirely of words on screen, testing how text can work as cinema.

Their films in the library

Awards

No major awards are documented here.

The full list · 60

1956A to ZLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1963Toronto JazzLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
1964New York Eye and Ear ControlLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1964Little WalkLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1965Short ShaveLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor
1966Manual of ArmsLog in to add it to the libraryActor
1967WavelengthLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1967Standard TimeLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1967For Life, Against the WarLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1967Bill's HatLog in to add it to the libraryActor
1968Diaries, Notes, and SketchesLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
1968SnowblindLog in to add it to the libraryActor
1968A LectureLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Narrator
1969Back and ForthLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1969One Second in MontrealLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1969Dripping WaterLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1969SeminarLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
1970Side Seat Paintings Slides Sound FilmLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1970The Stone AgeLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Aristotle
1970A Casing ShelvedLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1971Hapax Legomena I: (nostalgia)Log in to add it to the libraryActor as Narrator
1971La Région CentraleLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1972Dream LifeLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Man walking in the street (uncredited)
1974‘Rameau’s Nephew’ by Diderot (Thanx to Dennis Young) by Wilma SchoenLog in to add it to the libraryDirector · Actor as The Whistler / The Trumpeter / Man at the Table / ... (voice)
1974Two Sides to Every StoryLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1976Breakfast (Table-Top Dolly)Log in to add it to the libraryDirector
1978CinématonLog in to add it to the libraryActor as N°44
1979Grand Opera: An Historical RomanceLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Wilma Schoen
1979Cinématon VLog in to add it to the libraryActor as N°44
1979Cinématon n°44 : Michael SnowLog in to add it to the libraryActor
1981PresentsLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1982So Is ThisLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1983Funnel PianoLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1983Snow BusinessLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
1985Home Movies 1971-81Log in to add it to the libraryActor
1987I Will Not Make Any More Boring ArtLog in to add it to the libraryActor
1988Seated FiguresLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1990See You LaterLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1991To Lavoisier, Who Died in the Reign of TerrorLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
1996Michael Snow Up CloseLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
1997Birth of a NationLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Self
2000PreludeLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2000PreludesLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2001The Living RoomLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2002*Corpus CallosumLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2002Solar BreathLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2003WVLNTLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2004TriageLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2005SshtoorrtyLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2006ReverberlinLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2009Puccini ConservatoLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2011Free Radicals: A History of Experimental FilmLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
2011Michael Snow PortraitLog in to add it to the libraryActor
2011Cyclopean 3D: Life with a Beautiful WomanLog in to add it to the libraryActor
2013Snow In ViennaLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself - Composer
2016Portrait of SnowLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
2016EXPRMNTLLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
2019CityscapeLog in to add it to the libraryDirector
2019L’œil omnidirectionnel de Michael SnowLog in to add it to the libraryActor as Himself
2019WaivelengthLog in to add it to the libraryDirector

Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.