Andrew Repasky McElhinney

Andrew Repasky McElhinney (born 1978) is an American film and theater director, writer and producer born in Philadelphia. McElhinney's cinema work is in the permanent collection of MoMA-The Museum of Modern Art, New York.[1]

Early life and education

McElhinney holds degrees from The New School for Social Research (NYC) and The European Graduate School (EGS)[2] in Switzerland. In 2011, McElhinney defended his PhD dissertation, which was subsequently published by McFarland and Company as Second Takes: Remaking Film, Remaking America, ISBN 978-0-7864-7761-6.[3] He has been an instructor at Rutgers,[4] Rowan and Temple Universities, among others, teaching Screenwriting, Cinema and American Studies.

Career

In 1994, while in high school, he formed "ARMcinema25.com",[5] a company devoted to producing movies.

In 1994, McElhinney released the short films, The Scream and Her Father’s Expectancy".

In 1995, McElhinney made a silent musical entitled A Maggot Tango.[6] The original camera negative is in the permanent collection of MoMA-The Museum of Modern Art, New York, object number W23983.[7]

Feature films

McElhinney’s first feature Magdalen [8] is about "a world-weary young woman who earns her living in a bar, telling stories to lonely people for money."[9] Philadelphia Weekly wrote of the movie that, "Smith’s presence on-screen is fascinating, unromantic and tough. The film itself unravels languidly, with stylish, moody black-and-white photograph from local cinematographer Abe Holtz."[9] The original camera negative is in the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art.[10]

McElhinney's second feature debuted in 2000, the period art-slasher film, A Chronicle of Corpses, starring Marj Dusay, Kevin Mitchel Martin, Oliver Wyman, David Semonin, Margot White and Ryan Foley.[11]} A Chronicle of Corpses made a "festival splash"[12] and was praised by Dave Kehr of The New York Times.[13] Dennis Lim, in The Village Voice, wrote that A Chronicle of Corpses was “[e]asily the most peculiar American indie to play New York theaters this year… alternately flamboyant and minimal… Abe Holtz's resourceful camera switches between fussy, iconic frescoes and showboat prowls. ...rancid opulence and humid religiosity.”[14]

His next film was Georges Bataille's Story of the Eye released in 2003.[15][16] Dennis Harvey, in Variety, said the film affirmed McElhinney's "certifiable coolness" and was "a punk-pornocopia equivalent to Last Year at Marienbad."[17]

McElhinney's film, Animal Husbandry (2008) is a romantic comedy set in the 1930s with the subtext reexamined to explore issues of race, class gender/sexual identity in contemporary America.

McElhinney's film Christmas Dreams (2015) is a children's holiday musical fantasy, the movie was a shot entirely on a soundstage and features extensive special effects and CGI.[18]

McElhinney's film "Casual Encounters: Philadelphia True Crime Confessions" is in post-production.[19]

Short films

October 6, 2006, McElhinney shot the ten-minute short, The Things We Do For Love: A Cinemagic at the Cinemagic 3 movie theater, Walnut Street, just prior to the multiplex's demolition.

McElhinney chronicled the European Graduate School's tenth anniversary in residence in Saas-Fee, Switzerland in the hour-long direct cinema documentary, "European Graduate School: Digital Video Diary-August 2008".

In 2009, McElhinney created the video projections for Brat Production's Haunted House, "Haunted Poe"[20] and created two short films for the event, "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "Poe's Last Train Ride". The Philadelphia Inquirer praised McElhinney's work as "Hitchcockian".[21] The entire production was credited as "the season's wildest ride."[22]

Retrospectives

June 2004, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts presented a retrospective of McElhinney's movies and installation work (to date), with the film director as some movie cast alumni in attendance.[23]

October 2013, the Zoetropolis Art House, in collaboration with Franklin & Marshall College, presented a revival of McElhinney's debut feature, Magdalen, projected on film.[24]

December 2019, Woodmere Art Museum presented screenings of the original version (without the post-release producer-added narration) of McElhinney's fifth feature, Christmas Dreams.[25]

May 2020, the Lichtblick-Kino in collaboration with Freie Universität Berlin presented a revival of McElhinney's third feature, Georges Bataille's Story of the Eye.

Theater

Since 1993, McElhinney has directed theater productions including "The Visitor" (McElhinney) – 1993, "Oleanna" (Mamet) – 1996, "The Artificial Jungle" (Ludlum) – 1997, "The Malady of Death" (Duras) – NYC 1999, "The Peek-A-Boo Revue Burlesque Show" – 2003–2007, "Who Milk Dat Was?" (Wildau) – 2007, "Death and Devil" (Wedekind) – 2009,[26] "Blue Movie: A Film By Andy Warhol" (Warhol) – 2010, "Macbeth" (Shakespeare) – 2010, "The Cowen Bridge Girls" (Giovanni/McElhinney) – 2011, "Rent" (Larson – musical staging only) – 2011, "Timon of Athens" (Shakespeare) – 2011, "Q+C" (Cook) – 2012, "Titus Andronicus" (Shakespeare) – 2013, "Troilus and Cressida" (Shakespeare) – 2015.

2016-2020 McElhinney was the Producing Artistic Associate at Torn Out Theater[27] which produced and promoted theatrical productions that inspired and challenged audiences to explore the questions of modern sexuality, gender, and the body politic in public spaces.

In 2017, McElhinney and writing partner Greg Giovanni were commissioned by New Yiddish Rep to create a screen adaptation of Sholem Asch's drama, God of Vengeance.[28]

McElhinney is the director of Shakespeare in Harrowgate Park, a theater production entity committed to free, outdoor performances of classic theater, live music and children's theater in Harrowgate Park.[29]

References
  1. "Andrew Repasky McElhinney - MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art.
  2. "Andrew Repasky McElhinney - The European Graduate School". egs.edu. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  3. "Second Takes: Remaking Film, Remaking America (promotional webpage)". McFarland and Company.
  4. "Rutgers American Studies".
  5. "ARMcinema25". Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  6. "Chestnut Hill Local 22 June 1995" (PDF).
  7. The Museum of Modern Art [New York]. "Andrew Repasky McElhinney. A Maggot Tango. 1995."
  8. "Philadlephia Weekly 1996" (PDF).
  9. Tobey, Carrie. "The Young and The Restless: Philly filmmaker Andrew Repasky McElhinney." Philadelphia Weekly, December 16, 1998, p. 60.
  10. The Museum of Modern Art [New York]. "Andrew Repasky McElhinney. Magdalen. 1998." https://www.moma.org/collection/works/186779?artist_id=46842&page=1&sov_referrer=artist Accessed 9 February 2021.
  11. Hall, Phil. Independent Film Distribution. Saline, ME: McNaughton & Gunn Inc, 2006. Page 167.
  12. Harvey, Dennis. "Georges Bataille's Story of the Eye." Variety [Los Angeles], 15 June 2004. https://variety.com/2004/film/reviews/georges-bataille-s-story-of-the-eye-1200532764 Retrieved 06 January 2021
  13. Kehr, Dave. "Decadence Meets Death On an 1800's Plantation." The New York Times [New York], 24 October 2001, Section E, Page 1. https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/24/movies/film-review-decadence-meets-death-on-an-1800-s-plantation.html
  14. Lim, Dennis. "Vicious Cycles." The Village Voice [New York], 23 October 2001. https://vvstaging.villagevoice.com/2001/10/23/vicious-cycles
  15. Hall, Phil. Independent Film Distribution. Saline, ME: McNaughton & Gunn Inc, 2006. Page 173.
  16. Kehr, Dave (September 22, 2004). "Exploring the Temptation to Look (and to Look Away)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  17. Dennis Harvey (June 21, 2004). "Georges Bataille's Story of the Eye, review". Variety.
  18. "Chestnut Hill director spins holiday magic in new film". The Chestnut Hill Local. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  19. "Casual Encounters: Philadelphia True Crime Confessions" ARMcinema25.com. https://www.armcinema25.com/films/casual-encounters-philadlephia-true-crime-confessions Accessed 3 January 2021.
  20. "Installation Work « ARMcinema25".
  21. Rosenfield, Wendy. "Wails, woe: 'Haunted Poe'. The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 13, 2009. https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/wendy_rosenfield/20091013_Wails__woe___Haunted_Poe_.html Accessed October 10, 2020.
  22. Robb, J Cooper. "PW's Picks For Best Theater This Year." Philadelphia Weekly, July 7, 2010. Accessed July 10, 2010.
  23. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. "Monthly Calendar - Jun 04." San Francisco: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 2004.
  24. "'Magdalen' by Andrew Repasky McElhinney, Filmmaker in-person, at Zoetropolis." Moviate.org. October 16, 2014. https://www.moviate.org/archives/monthly-film-screening-archives/122-magdalen-by-andrew-mcelhinney-filmmaker-in-person-at-zoetropolis Accessed February 2, 2021.
  25. "Tuesday Night at the Movies Hosted By Woodmere Art Museum." ChestnutHillPA.com. December 10, 2019. https://chestnuthillpa.com/events/tuesday-night-at-the-movies-hosted-by-woodmere-art-museum Accessed December 11, 2020.
  26. Brickbat (January 19, 2009). "Brickbat Books: Saturday, FEB. 14th: Frank Wedekind's Death and Devil". Brickbat Books. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  27. "Torn Out Theater". Torn Out Theater.
  28. "New Screen Adaptation of GOD OF VENGEANCE to Receive Reading Next Week." Broadwayworld.com [New York]. https://www.broadwayworld.com/off-broadway/article/New-Screen-Adaptation-of-GOD-OF-VENGEANCE-to-Receive-Reading-Next-Week-20170926 Retrieved 29 Sept 2019.
  29. "Shakespeare in Harrowgate Park". www.facebook.com. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
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