ICO Essentials: The Secret Masterpieces of Cinema

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Independent Cinema Office presents ICO Essentials: The Secret Masterpieces of Cinema, featuring six themed programmes of artists' films, including newly restored classics and influential gems that have blazed a trail through the visual arts, fashion, music and design. Drawing on a wide range of practices from across the world, the Essentials programmes present revelatory and ground-breaking works, which have influenced countless artists and films since throughout 20th century.

Selected by six leading curators, including George Clark, Ian White, Michelle Cotton, James Harding, Tanya Leighton, and The Otolith Group (Kodwo Eshun and Anjalika Sagar), each of the Essentials programmes offers an accessible introduction to the fascinating world of artists film and video. The individual programmes explore a different broad theme, offering a variety of perspectives on artists' filmmaking, from topical and aesthetic preoccupations, to the roles played by technology, history, politics and wider cultural practices.

The project is launched with this special preview weekend featuring the complete collection of films at Tate Modern from 18 ' 21 January. The first in programme 'Essentials: Dreams' opens on national release on Friday 25 January, at the ICA, London, then tours to cinemas across the UK.

The six programmes feature work by over 40 artists from around the world, including key work by Kenneth Anger, Lis Rhodes, Germaine Dulac, Thom Anderson, Luis Bunuel, Santiago Alvarez, Mark Leckey, László Moholy-Nagy, Maya Deren, Jan Svankmajer, Charles and Ray Eames, Len Lye, Harun Forocki, John Smith, George Kuchar and many more.