Maya Deren Movies

  • 1943
    Meshes of the Afternoon

    Meshes of the Afternoon

    Meshes of the Afternoon

    7.71943HD

    A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete...

    Meshes of the Afternoon
  • 1946
    The Private Life of a Cat

    The Private Life of a Cat

    The Private Life of a Cat

    7.11946HD

    An intimate study of the life of a domestic cat, taking place over a period of months as she gives birth to a litter of kittens and cares for them as...

    The Private Life of a Cat
  • 1946
    Ritual in Transfigured Time

    Ritual in Transfigured Time

    Ritual in Transfigured Time

    6.91946HD

    A social event choreographed in the manner of a dance, illuminated by concepts drawn from Greek legend; one of filmmaker Maya Deren’s most...

    Ritual in Transfigured Time
  • 1958
    The Very Eye of Night

    The Very Eye of Night

    The Very Eye of Night

    5.91958HD

    Dancers, shown in photographic negative, perform a series of ballet moves, solos, pas de deux, larger groupings. The dancers glide and rotate...

    The Very Eye of Night
  • 1944
    At Land

    At Land

    At Land

    7.31944HD

    A dream-like narrative in which a woman (Deren), is washed up on a beach and goes on a strange journey, a quest for personal identity, encountering...

    At Land
  • 1945
    A Study in Choreography for Camera

    A Study in Choreography for Camera

    A Study in Choreography for Camera

    5.91945HD

    Maya Deren’s shortest, two-minute A Study in Choreography for Camera seems like an exercise piece to capture a dancer’s movement on...

    A Study in Choreography for Camera
  • 1949
    Meditation on Violence

    Meditation on Violence

    Meditation on Violence

    5.5671949HD

    Chao-Li Chi shadow boxes indoors and practices with a sword outdoors. Theoretically, the film describes in a single continuous movement three degrees...

    Meditation on Violence
  • 2024
    Alter Ego Film Project

    Alter Ego Film Project

    Alter Ego Film Project

    02024HD

    5 short films, from 5 directors and 4 different countries on the theme of the Alter-Ego. The "Alter Ego Film Project" is inspired by the spirit of...

    Alter Ego Film Project
  • 1951
    Ensemble for Somnambulists

    Ensemble for Somnambulists

    Ensemble for Somnambulists

    61951HD

    Ensemble for Somnambulists was a film Maya Deren made while teaching a workshop at the Toronto Film Society. It was never completed, and is...

    Ensemble for Somnambulists
  • 1986
    Invocation: Maya Deren

    Invocation: Maya Deren

    Invocation: Maya Deren

    51986HD

    Maya Deren is a legend of avant-garde cinema. This authoritative biography of the charismatic filmmaker, poet and anthropologist features excerpts...

    Invocation: Maya Deren
  • 1944
    Witch's Cradle

    Witch's Cradle

    Witch's Cradle

    6.61944HD

    The surrealist film shows repetitive imagery involving a string fashioned in a bizarre, almost spiderweb-like pattern over the hands of several...

    Witch's Cradle
  • 1993
    Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti

    Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti

    Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti

    6.11993HD

    This intimate ethnographic study of Voudoun dances and rituals was shot by Maya Deren during her years in Haiti (1947-1951); she never edited the...

    Divine Horsemen: The Living Gods of Haiti
  • 2002
    In the Mirror of Maya Deren

    In the Mirror of Maya Deren

    In the Mirror of Maya Deren

    7.42002HD

    Documentary about the life of avant-garde filmmaker Maya Deren, who led the independent film movement of the 1940s.

    In the Mirror of Maya Deren
  • 2011
    Maya Deren's Sink

    Maya Deren's Sink

    Maya Deren's Sink

    4.52011HD

    Maya Deren's Sink, a 30 minute experimental film, is an evocative tribute to the mother of avantgarde American film. The film calls forth the spirit...

    Maya Deren's Sink
  • 2012
    Maya Deren, Take Zero

    Maya Deren, Take Zero

    Maya Deren, Take Zero

    52012HD

    This documentary interweaves celluloid and voice recordings by Maya Deren, and colleagues who knew her firsthand: Jean Rouch, Jonas Mekas, Alexander...

    Maya Deren, Take Zero
  • 2023
    Vever (For Barbara)

    Vever (For Barbara)

    Vever (For Barbara)

    02023HD

    Deborah Stratman brings past perspectives into the contemporary moment in a montage of unfinished film footage from artist Barbara Hammer with...

    Vever (For Barbara)
  • 1959
    Season of Strangers

    Season of Strangers

    Season of Strangers

    01959HD

    Unfinished, 16mm, b&w silent film directed by Maya Deren. No copy of this film exists

    Season of Strangers
  • 1949
    Medusa

    Medusa

    Medusa

    01949HD

    Unfinished, 16mm, b&w silent film directed by Maya Deren.

    Medusa