Monday April 3, 7:30pm
Lisa Levy: “Cold Feet”
Directed by Spencer Schilly
Lisa Levy in person! Free for Members!
Image courtesy of Lisa Levy
Microscope is excited to present a screening of Cold Feet, a 2016 feature by Spencer Schilly documenting the three emotional months leading up to the first time marriage of the intensely independent Bushwick-based performance artist Lisa Levy at the age of 54 to her long-time boyfriend and fellow artist Phil Buehler. Although known for her bold and unabashed performances such as her ongoing faux psychotherapist sessions as Dr. Lisa and her “The Artist is Humbly Present” (2016), in which she spent a day naked on a toilet in a gallery joined by fellow visitors, the movie presents a look at the reality behind her artist practice and life, cracking through the armor of irony she has erected to expose her most vulnerable self.
In Levy’s own words:
Phil and I had been dating for 12 years, engaged for 5 of them. I knew I wanted to be with Phil, but thought the whole marriage/wedding thing was, frankly, corny and too girly for my taste. One of the wonderful things that Phil brought to our relationship that was healthy for me was his respect and regard for family so he wanted to have a wedding and have me as an official family member. Ugh NO…
Fortunately, one of our close, insanely talented film-maker friends, Spencer Schilly was in town (from Hollywood!) on an editing assignment and decided to film every detail of the 3 months leading up to the wedding. Spencer’s instincts bore out. The wedding scene is more than any filmmaker could ask for.
Lisa Levy will be in attendance and available for a Q&A following the screening.
general admission $8
students w/ ID $6
free for Members!
Cold Feet
Directed by Spencer Schilly, HD video, 2016, 41 minutes
A great guy, Phil, is pressuring Lisa, a 54-year old artist/art director/performer into finally getting married for the first time. All her friends know it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her. However, her own self-image as an independent creative person is getting in the way of moving her life forward. She struggles with it in her funny self-deprecating way throughout the wedding planning right up until the vows. Filmmaker Spencer Schilly captures her emotional conflicts every step of the way, from the doctor visits through wedding gown shopping expeditions with her best friend, Margot. Spencer includes intimate interviews with many of her friends and family. This film captures the disillusionment and confusion many women feel about the role of marriage in their lives and how it will impact their self esteem for better or worse.
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Spencer Schilly’s career spans over 20 years as a writer, director, producer and editor. As writer/director Spencer’s first feature, SUMMER THUNDER, garnered two Best Feature Awards and an Audience Favorite. In 2008 he completed his 3rd feature, THE HOUSEBOY, which was also awarded Best Feature in 2008. Spencer’s love of editing and storytelling lead him to collaborate with other directors, editing their movies. Most notably Spencer edited Todd Stephen’s, ANOTHER GAY SEQUEL and RuPaul’s cult-classic, STARRBOOTY. In 2009, he moved to Los Angeles and started editing on RuPaul’s Emmy nominated tv show, RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE. To date he’s edited 9 narrative features and over 20 different television series including Bravo’s REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ATLANTA and Animal Planet’s TOO CUTE!. He also edited OPRAH WINFREY’S BEHIND THE SCENES series finale as well as shows for WE, VH1, Oxygen, Discovery, E!, TVOne and Lifetime. Born in Memphis, TN, Spencer graduated with an MFA from School of Visual Arts in New York in 2002. He currently lives in Los Angeles CA, with his dog and pet rabbits.
Lisa Levy is a conceptual artist, comedic performer, painter and (self-proclaimed) psychotherapist. Her visual art has been widely exhibited at many venues including The New Museum, The Bronx Museum, The Pulse Art Fair, The Brooklyn Academy of Music and Christopher Stout Gallery. As a live performer, her most popular character is Dr. Lisa, S.P. (self-proclaimed) who psychoanalyzes people on screen, stage and on the street. She’s had celebrity guest “patients” such as Joe Gordon-Levitt and Amy Schumer on her weekly Radio Free Brooklyn show called “Dr. Lisa Gives a Sh*t” where she conducts funny, emotionally revealing “psychotherapy sessions.” Levy has performed at The Brooklyn Museum, BAM, Joe’s Pub, The Woolly Mammoth Theater and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Dr. Lisa has been the subject of feature stories in numerous publications such as the New York Times and The London Times. Her recent 2-day protest of the art world, where she sat naked on a toilet for two days, garnered international attention.
Image courtesy of Lisa Levy
