4 FINGERS, 5 TOES

Amy Halpern, USA, 16mm, 10 min, 2022

Endangered animals on an endangered medium. A heartbeat 4/4 slow cinema, with a sex scene.

4 Fingers, 5 Toes captures images of the Eastern spotted newt and California golden newt in their natural habitats. Halpern shows the amphib ians walking, swimming, and even mating, their staccato movements redolent of stop-motion animation.— Film Comment

Amy Halpern (1953–2022). 40+ films from 1972–2022; major retrospectives at venues including Los Angeles Film Forum, Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, and (S8) Mostra de Cinema Periférico. Co-founder of New York Collective for Living Cinema (1972–82) and Los Angeles Independent Film Oasis (1975–80). Frequent collaborator on projects with filmmakers such as Pat O’Neill, Charles Burnett, Ken Jacobs, David Lebrun, and others.