"Primiti Too Taa" was born on November 23, 1986 after six weeks
of 3,409 frames of animated typing on paper. It premiered at the
San Francisco Poetry Film Workshop as a modest two person production using
an innovative technique. Animated typing on paper. The production
was made as just a test for a longer film titled "Once Upon a Typewriter"
(yet to be completed).
The film was originally made in 1986, in 16 mm but since then has spawned
a 35 mm version and a 70 mm Imax version as well as a sequel and an American
public service announcement (Smokey the Bear made with animated typing
on paper). The film has won many awards. The film distributors
are Dutch, American and Canadian. It has participated in many group
film tours. I have a historic collection of programs, posters and
news clippings, magazine articles and academic papers. This year
the film was chosen as part of the LIFT retrospective in Toronto, a 70
mm screening in Chicago and of course the Canadian Independent animation
retrospective in Portugal curated by Marco De Blois.
Distributors
“Primiti Too Taa” Distributors
(16 mm, 35 mm, 70mm, Video, Laser Disc formats)
Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre
CFMDC (West)
Winnipeg Film Group
Animated People (Holland)
Spike and Mike Festival of Animation
Imax Systems Inc.
Imax rentals.
“Primiti Too Taa”
The Hague 1990
Los Angeles 1991
Bradford 1994
Chicago 1994
Vienna 1995
Vancouver 1997
Screenings
Screenings of Primiti Too Taa (16 mm - 35 mm 1987-1989)
Toronto Oakville Rimouski Vancouver Shanghai Peking
Winnipeg
New York Montreal Dekalab San Francisco Los Angeles Richmond Chicago
Iowa City Ottawa San Luis Obispo Madison Pittsburgh St. Catherines
Milwaukee Newport Boston Kingston Sechelt Powell River
Quadra Island Courtenay Duncan Salt Spring Is. Victoria
Prince George Kaslo Osoyoos Nanaimo Santa Cruz Trail
Kelowna Penticton Hedley Riverdside San Diego Long Beach Seattle
Washington Barrie Guelph Hamilton Brantford Woodstock
Windsor Teeswater Durham Owen Sound Sudbury Thunderbay Anchorage
Elk Lake North Bay Pembroke Gloucester Collingwood Elora Peterbourough
Bolton Arcata Austin Baltimore Berkeley Billings
Boise Boulder Bremerton Cleveland Columbus Tekoma Denver
Ellensburg Eugene Hartford Minneapolis New Orleans Norfolk
Northhampton Olympia Palo Alto Portland Providence Sacramento St.
Louis Salt Lake City Spokane
1988 Zagreb Tour 1988 ASIFA East Tour 1989 Film Trek Tour
1989 Spike & Mike Festival
Reviews
Reviews and Press Coverage
“Animated movie a David against two NFB Goliaths” -Ottawa Citizen
“Nonsensical poetry film nominated for a Genie award” -Teeswater News
“Ed’s Big Adventure....When I was kicked out of Ryerson my career was
assured” -Oh Magazine
“Words dance, blip and slide by and their repetitions and permutations
create a rhythms delirium” -Boston Phoenix
“Sets 30’s innovator Kurt Schwitters typewriter art to nonsense sounds”
-Georgia Straight
“Could be a Genie Award winner” -Walkerton Herold-Times
“a shoe string animation that combined witty rhythmic patterns with
a nonsense poem by dadaist” -Globe and Mail
“fummsbo.. booro..funsbowo...Juu Kaa?...to name but a few. One’s mouth
wants to join in.” -Cinema Canada
“Primiti Too Taa continues to do extremely well at the festivals.”
-LIFT Newsletter
“The concept s boring, and the weak visuals add nothing to an already
bizarre poem.” -South Bay
“the word is energy and this piece was energy. Either that, or
a semiotician’s nightmare.” -The Ubyssey
“a three minute animated film that was noted for its innovative approach.”
-Imax Newsletter
“A non-conformist’s winning ways...animated film chalks up five awards.”
-Kitchener-Waterloo Record
“If you would like to see his film why not ask him” -OPUS Ministry
of Labour