Guy Maddin is best known for directing The Saddest Music In the World in 2003 and Keyhole in 2011, but in the years between and since, he has made countless short films, an experience that has prepared him for his latest project. Seances is an online installation in which Maddin, and collaborators Evan and Galen Johnson, filmed scenes, music, and titles inspired by lost films. The project’s web site, which is the only place you can watch the thing, combines snippets of that material in different combinations for every viewer. Every time someone views the site, they see an experimental short film that will never be seen again.
The Johnson brothers have previously collaborated with the director, with Evan co-directing The Forbidden Room and several shorts with Maddin, and Galen composing music. The trio co-produced the project with the National Film Board Of Canada, and it’s set to be screened in some form at the Tribeca Film Festival later this month.