This week, the 50th annual Ann Arbor Film Festival presents an impressive assemblage of today’s most fascinating independent film artists, re-imagining the possibilities of documentaries, animation, short film and new media.

Renowned avant-garde filmmaker Bruce Baillie is among honored guests. Baillie will present three programs of his work during the festival.

At the first Ann Arbor Film Festival, held in 1963, a full program was devoted to Bruce Baillie’s short films. Baillie and his work continued to be a strong and consistent presence during the first decade of the Ann Arbor Film Festival, which has become the oldest and largest in the U.S. focused on experimental cinema.

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Programs at the 50th AAFF will include such major Baillie works as QUIXOTE, QUICK BILLY, CASTRO STREET among others. A pioneer of the American avant-garde film movement, Baillie will discuss his work and his influence on film culture with the AAFF audience. This is a special occasion as Baillie rarely travels for in person screenings.

The 82 year-old Baillie, originally from Aberdeen, South Dakota, began making work in 1960 with his first film ON SUNDAYS. CASTRO STREET, Baillie’s 1966 film was selected for preservation in 1992 by the United States National Film Registry. His filmography includes nearly 30 films that have screened all over the world.

In addition to his film work, Baillie founded Canyon Cinema, which today is the largest American distributor of experimental and avant-garde cinema. In 1961 Baillie began a screening series in his back yard together with Chick Strand and others. The series became the San Francisco Cinematheque, an acclaimed exhibitor of experimental film, digital media, and performance cinema that continues to this day. Baillie currently resides off the coast of Washington with his wife and two children.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL WEBSITE: http://www.aafilmfest.org/

About the Ann Arbor Film Festival

The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the longest running independent and experimental film festival in North America, internationally recognized as a premier forum for film as an art form. The AAFF receives more than 2,500 submissions annually from over than 70 countries and serves as one of a handful of Academy Award-qualifying festivals in the United States. The AAFF is a pioneer of the traveling film festival tour, and each year visits more than 35 theaters, universities, museums and art house cinemas around the world.

The 50^th Ann Arbor Film Festival takes place March 27 – April 1, 2012.

For more information, visit aafilmfest.org

Becca Keating is a contact/public relations representative with the Ann Arbor Film Festival.