Peter von Ziegesar: The Long View
Presented by Millennium Film Journal
Friday February 20, 2026
doors 7:30 PM films 8:00 PM
IN-PERSON
MILLENNIUM FILM WORKSHOP
167 Wilson Ave, Brooklyn NY 11237
$10-15 Suggested Donation
TICKETS:
https://www.millenniumfilm.org/event-details/peter-von-ziegesar-the-long-view
Peter von Ziegesar’s work is a living document of a city in progress. A denizen of the Lower East side and stalwart of its art scene during the mid-seventies and eighties, the body of work he has produced over the years has shifted and transformed many times over in style and expression. When viewed in retrospect, one finds a veritable catalog of technique - from his early experiments in Man Ray-esque direct animation in The Alchemy of the World (later revisited in video!) to the journalistic eye of Alaska and the abstract expressionist use of color throughout The History of Dancing. The influence of the LES and New York’s characteristic sense of variety on Peter’s work is undeniable, and much of it can be said to hold a mirror to the transformations and myriad faces of the ever-in-flux cityscape where he makes his home. This sentiment finds its most literal expression in his opus Concern For The City, a city symphony showcasing New York’s natural and unnatural rhythms in alternating time-lapse and moody close-up.
Concern For The City, like many of Peter’s other films, was edited at Millennium Film Workshop on East 4th Street over the span of several years in the early 80s. Peter was also profiled by Cortland Rankin for Millennium Film Journal for our Fall 2025 issue, and we are pleased to present a selection of his works this month at the Workshop, as the first screening in a new series marking the 60th Anniversary of Millennium, founded by Ken and Flo Jacobs in 1966. MFW60 will highlight filmmakers from across Millennium’s history, inviting them to present works created at or premiered at Millennium in generations past, contextualizing them within our whole history and current incarnation in Bushwick. Screenings in this series will happen throughout 2026, at the Workshop and in collaboration with other spaces, initiatives and organizations who have been vital to Millennium’s history.
FILMS:
- Alchemy of the Word (16mm, Sound, B&W, 1975) - 12 min
- A History of Dancing (16mm, Silent, Color, 1976) - 8 min.
- Just Sprouts (16mm, Sound, B&W, 1976) - 14 min.
- Alaska (16mm, Sound, B&W, 1980) - 10 min
- Concern for the City (16mm, Sound, Color, 1980-86) - 30 min.
- Alchemy of the Word (Altered Digital Version, Digital, Sound, color, 1987) - 16 min