Part One. A brief History of Rafic (Rafik Video)
It’s not clear, when or how Rafic became interested in filmmaking. Rafic was a filmmaker himself, and made several films in the late ‘60’s and early ‘70’s including THE ROOM, film documentation of Jack Smith’s SECRET OF RENTED ISLAND, and others. He was briefly a member of the Millennium Film Workshop. Probably around 1970 Rafic began selling 16mm film, primarily short-ends, selling at unusual hours, and sometimes delivering the film stock.
Soon after this, Rafic became one of the original founders of the U-P Film Group located at 814 Broadway, where he had part of a fourth floor walk up loft. The U-P Film Group worked like a collective. Members contributed either a piece of equipment or money, making filmmaking accessible and inexpensive. U-P also had film screenings and performances. These events included work by David Vadehra, Jerry Tartaglia, Jack Smith, Rafic, Andrew Noren, Don Snyder, and probably others associated with the psychedelic movement.
Some time in the mid to late 70’s the U-P film group dissolved. In its place the O-P screening room began. The U-P and O-P screening situations were quite significant. Screenings were sometimes programmed, sometimes open, or booked by the artist. U-P and O-P was not dogmatic, and were open to any artists, to the trained or not, abstract or narrative, performance, dance and slide shows. There were no rules and no criteria. At this time sound Super 8 became available, (video was still largely our of reach). O-P encouraged more novice filmmakers. Some of the artists who typically showed at O-P included: Jack Smith, Charlie Ahearn, Amos Poe, Nan Goldin, Vivienne Dick, Scott and Beth B, James Nares, Nick Zedd, Jacob Burchardt, and Sara Driver. One might see French-Algerian dance, or Jack Smith un-spooling the entire length of NORMAL LOVE onto the floor as he showed it, or Charlie Ahearn projecting early hip hop slides with Fab Five Freddy rapping over the mic, or NAN Golding and her friend Butch reading a story with slides, or Windsor McKay’s 1918 animated THE SINKING OF THE LUSITANIA with an Ave Maria soundtrack. Rafic might show Jean Genet’s Un Chant D’Amour, old newsreels, or Nosferatu, or it might be somebody’s Super 8 feature. Parties, and hanging out were also a big part of O-P.
Credit: Tom Jarmusch in Captured © Clayton Patterson
(Source: rafikvideo.com)
