Pranks for a Higher Purpose

With its Pranks books, RE/Search has long championed those who fire philosophical spitballs at all society holds dear: corporations, social constructs, the hegemony, billboards, robot-machines that don't unleash fireballs, and the existence of a single, sober Santa. Although video scraps of these culture jammers have seeped into the mainstream for years, we've never seen them pool so thick in one place. At the inaugural Pranks Film Festival, RE/Search publisher V. Vale braces dozens of shorts, sometimes just minutes of tape, with feature-length docs that have been spotted at various film fests. Tonight's programs include The Yes Men, concerning the exploits of the famed activists who impersonate WTO representatives and attend conferences worldwide, as well CultureJam: Hijacking Commercial Culture, which profiles the Billboard Liberation Front and Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping. (Tonight also features onstage interviews with members of the BLF.) Tomorrow's screenings include clips of the St. Stupid's Day Parade, Joey Skaggs' video collection, and Portland's Santacon (in which dozens of Santas descend on the city), as well as the theatrical premiere of Head Trip, a doc about the cross-country tour of the iconic Doggie Diner heads, narrated by Hal Robins, or Dr. Hal to you trivia buffs. The night ends with a Survival Research Labs program of fiery shorts.
April 11-16, 2008