JoAnn Elam Movies

A myriad of purple and blue markings flicker hypnotically across the screen in “Filmabuse.” Periodically a blue screen flashes,...

Experimental home movie documenting a visit by filmmakers Wayne and Eleanor Boyer and their nine-year-old son Brett to JoAnn Elam's home in Logan...

Filmed in extreme close-up, the lit-up pine needles of a Christmas tree are abstracted into forms of line and contrast. “Christmas Tree”...

Elam records several men moving boxes and furniture as they track across her backyard.

“Windows” documents the views of and out from windows around JoAnn Elam’s Logan Square neighborhood in Chicago. The first section...

Abstract direct animation film made by JoAnn Elam.

Abstract images of flames and fire.

Similar to her "Back Porch" films, JoAnn Elam's "Front Porch" documents the scenes of life in her neighborhood in Chicago. The film pays especial...

Underexposed scenes from a backyard barbecue likely at the home of JoAnn Elam and Joe Hendrix, featuring members of the "Logan Square Rhinos" —...

A covered bridge and the nature surrounding it.

Cleaning supplies and flames.

Joann Elam captures urban residents on the go in various seasons. The film begins in winter, as JoAnn captures sleepy neighborhood scenes from her...

Experimental film by Chicago filmmaker JoAnn Elam (1949-2009). Altered lyrics to the song "Chains" sit atop animated images of grains. Exact date of...

Intimate portrayal of children at home and outsde in a park. At the start, a baby rolls around on the floor of a living room and bounces in a...

Elam turns in place while filming nature.

Experimental filmmaker JoAnn Elam guides (or limits) the viewer's eyes down a rural, wooded path.

This footage is almost entirely black, save for a few shots possibly showing electric poles outside.

Abstract, direct animation consisting of triangular shapes that flow past the frame. Apparently the source for "Filmabuse" (F.2011-01-0262) and...

Abstract short.

JoAnn Elam's unfinished project, EVERYDAY PEOPLE (filmed from 1979 to 1990), is based on her experiences as a letter carrier for the US Postal...