James Stanley Brakhage was an American filmmaker. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in 20th-century experimental film.
Photo of Brakhage by Friedl Kubelka, c. 1976
Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that rigorously re-evaluates cinematic conventions and explores non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many experimental films, particularly early ones, relate to arts in other disciplines: painting, dance, literature and poetry, or arise from research and development of new technical resources.
Poster for The Great Blondino, a 1960s counterculture film directed by Robert Nelson and William T. Wiley
Lithuanian artist Jonas Mekas, regarded as godfather of American avant-garde cinema