Teddy Bears and Little Friends: The films of “Nanny" Lynn Ochberg

Alphabet Movie (1994), by Nanny Lynn, World Theatrical Premiere

Sunday January 22, 2023, 1:00 pm

At 2220 Arts + Archives, 2220 W. Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90057

In person: James Thacher, Sam Gurry

Over Zoom: Lynn Ochberg

Tickets: $12 general, $8 students/seniors, free for Filmforum members

At https://link.dice.fm/leace1b37492 

Masks are still required at Filmforum shows - N95 or KN95.

An internet mystery solved at last.

Thirty years ago, VHS tapes containing striking Commodore Amiga animations started showing up at parties, micro cinemas, and living rooms across the country. Each copy was made to satisfy the audience's thirst for more of these narratively diverse films showcasing fairy tales, dinosaurs, consumption, play, politics, and even the Bosnian War. Those holding their tapes were left hungry in their pursuit of figuring out the true identity of its creator, Nanny Lynn. In the late 2010s, renewed interest led to the discovery of Lynn Ochberg, an Octogenarian Grandmother living in Florida whose oeuvre of animated wonders was created for her grandchildren.

Ochberg's work contains a legato sincerity with a patient narration of the artist herself grounding each work. Her films evoke being wrapped in the crock of her arms, worlds unfolding with hums, both human and analog. Ochberg's films featured her grandchildren, rendered in her surreal, digital realism, alongside figures from her family's life, including neighbors, doctors, and close friends. She is cited as a direct inspiration by a generation of animators including Paperrad. While the films themselves were never meant for widespread consumption, Lynn is delighted by the recent interest and ongoing restoration of her work.

Filmforum is excited to showcase a program of Lynn Ochberg's animated films. Following the program, there will be a Q&A with Ochberg and animator James Thacher. Thacher was instrumental in discovering Nanny Lynn's true identity and works with Ochberg to preserve and distribute her work.

Total Program Length approx. 60 minutes

Notes and Program by Sam Gurry. Thanks to James Thatcher & Lynn Ochberg.

Lynn Ochberg, born 1943 in Philadelphia, PA, grew up in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. She attended Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Goucher, Georgetown, and Stanford Law. Ochberg married her husband, Frank, in 1962 and had two sons and two daughters. Following a career in real estate, Ochberg worked in both municipal politics and made maple syrup sold at local farmers markets for several decades. When she lost elections, she would volunteer with the American Red Cross disaster service, creating computer generated cartoon stories.

Outside of her work, Lynn drew, painted, and carved wooden sculptures and furniture until the mid 1980s. Following her Mandarin studies at Michigan State University, she studied in China where she fell in love with silk embroidery which has comprised the bulk of her artistic focus since then.

Her hobbies include “reading history, doing water aerobics every day, and cooking something new every night”.

James Thacher is a moving image artist based in Brooklyn. He utilizes hand-made animation techniques to explore ideas of vision, memory, and historical struggle.