February 18, 2015

PhilaMOCA hosts first annual Philly Video Music Festival

Four days of programming celebrates the art of the music video

By Aubrey Nagle
PhillyVoice Contributor

PhilaMOCA/Facebook

PhilaMOCA at 531 N. 12th St.

Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art (PhilaMOCA) will hold the first annual Philly Video Music Festival Feb. 26 to Mar. 1. The four days of programming will be filled with retrospectives, film viewings, Q&A's and more exploring the ephemeral yet crucial role of the music video in pop culture.

The first night of the festival includes a showcase of contemporary music videos made by Philadelphia filmmakers. Altogether the show runs feature length and the selections were picked by a panel of judges with representatives from WXPN, City Paper, The Deli Philadelphia and The Key.

The following night, music video historian Stephen Pitalo will give a century-spanning presentation on the medium's history, participate in a Q&A and host a music video trivia game. The rest of the weekend includes showings of long form music videos, a documentary on a long-gone music video channel and a burlesque tribute to Weird Al and They Might Be Giants (yes, really).

For fans of the music video, this festival is sure to be a nostalgic trip to the past and an educational look at a still-evolving medium. Find a full schedule of the festival's events here.