Screening & Discussion: Unarius Academy of Science
Collaborators Amanda Lanthorne & Grant Knapp will host a screening of films from The Unarius Academy of Science, a spiritual school, based in El Cajon, CA, that studied the "interdimensional understanding of energy" through the principles of reincarnation and the belief in extraterrestrial intelligence. Early adopters of video production, the Unarians channelled and re-enacted their previous lives on Earth and beyond in wildly inventive DIY films that incorporated otherworldy costumes, guerilla filming techniques, ingenious special effects and elaborate sets. Their cosmic leader, Archangel Uriel, a clairvoyant with a fondness for glittery dresses, rainbow capes and benevolent aliens, permanently altered the minds of her fellow "Space Brothers" across America — from late-night stoners to true seekers — through a long running appearance on public access television. Bootlegged and sought out by collectors for decades, join us for a selection of American outsider cinema at its weirdest.