The specter of Mark LaPore (1952-2005) still hangs over Boston and the broader film community now ten years after his untimely death in September of 2005. As a professor of film at the Massachusetts College of Art, he was hugely influential, widely respected and adored by both his students and his peers. His often challenging work, which has been called “experimental ethnographic film,” both acknowledged and called into question many issues and concerns over imperialism and ethics in ethnographic film practice. And yet, while eulogized in works by Saul Levine and Phil Solomon, Mark’s own films have been rarely screened since the news that he had taken his own life sent shock-waves through the community, thus creating a shroud of mystery for those who hadn’t known him or his work beforehand. Saul Levine will be presenting five films by his late friend and colleague on 9/2, followed by two more during a program on 9/9.

—Stefan Grabowski, Boston Viewfinder