The avant-garde filmmaker Gunvor Nelson, who recently passed away, is celebrated at San Francisco Cinematheque. The programme “Trace Elements: Remembering Gunvor Nelson” features a selection of works from 1966 to 1998, kindly provided by Filmform and Canyon Cinema.
Film programme:
Works distributed by Filmform
TREE-LINE
Gunvor Nelson
1998, 00:08:00
MOONS POOL
Gunvor Nelson
1973, 00:15:00
SCHMEERGUNTZ
Gunvor Nelson & Dorothy Wiley
1966, 00:15:00
MY NAME IS OONA
Gunvor Nelson
1969, 00:10:00
TIME BEING
Gunvor Nelson
1991, 00:06:00
LIGHT YEARS
Gunvor Nelson
1987, 00:28:00
Gunvor Nelson (née Grundel: b. July 28, 1931; d. January 6, 2025) grew up in Kristinehamn, Sweden. Her mother was a teacher and her father was the owner and editor-in-chief of the local newspaper, Kristinehamns-Posten. On leaving school she studied at the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm, but moved to the US and California in 1953 to study art and art history. Nelson met her husband-to-be Robert Nelson when she was studying at the California School of Fine Arts (later known as the San Francisco Art Institute; SFAI). The Nelsons were a vital part of the new film culture that evolved in the San Francisco Bay Area and played a key role in the establishment of Canyon Cinema. Nelson subsequently taught filmmaking at SFAI 1970–1992, moving back to Kristinehamn in 1993. On her return Nelson quickly began working in digital video and was rediscovered in Swedish art circles, resulting in a number of awards and retrospectives both at home and abroad.