Christmas U.S.A.

Christmas U.S.A.

One of the most beautiful American films of the postwar era, Gregory J. Markopoulos’s 1949 Christmas U.S.A., in just 13 silent minutes, expresses more about the condition of the queer American male psyche than any feature-length narrative film of the time could dream or dare. A subjective evocation of a dream world in subliminal tones, Markopoulos’s film functions as a sort of inventory of a socially repressed mind, expressing entrapment and liberation, piety and desire… [The film] feels almost unbearably private, a movie that, despite its meticulous construction, is like a secret that has spontaneously appeared on screen. (Michael Koresky, Film Comment, 2019)
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Actors: Frederic Burae Davenport, Mario Antonnini
Format: 16mm
Color: B&W
Production Country: USA
Production Year: 1949
Duration: 13΄

Gregory J. Markopoulos

Born in Ohio in 1928 to Greek immigrant parents, experimental filmmaker Gregory Markopoulos began making 8mm films at the age of 12. In 1967 he left the United States for permanent residence in Europe. Gradually, Markopoulos ensconced in self-exile, withdrawing his films from circulation and refusing to give any interviews. While he continued to make films, his work went largely unseen for almost 30 years.

Filmography

1949 Christmas U.S.A. (short)
1963 Twice a Man
1966 Ming Green (short)
1967 The Illiac Passion
1967 Bliss (short)
1968 The Mysteries
1975 Portrait of Gilbert & George (aka Gibralta) (short)