Scott MacDonald is author of the five volumes of the Critical Cinema series (UC Press), of The Garden in the Machine: A Field Guide to Independent Films about Place (UC Press), and of several other books on avant-garde film and on institutions that have kept avant-garde film alive. He is currently Visiting Professor of Film History at Hamilton College and at Harvard University.

• Introduction 1. Formation 2. Incorporation Conversation with Edith Kramer Portfolio 3. Revitalization Conversation with Diane Kitchen, 3/02 Portfolio 4: Intellectualization Conversation with Bruce Conner, 7/01 Portfolio 5: Maintenance Conversation with Dominic Angerame, 8/02 Porfolio Appendix 1: Canyon Cinema Employees, 1969 to the Present Appendix 2. Canyon Cinema's Gross Rentals and Sales, 1966--2005 Credits Index

"Lovingly detailed history. Drawing from a wealth of primary materials ... a compelling narrative of American avant-garde cinema. Wonderful in its particulars." -- Max Goldberg San Francisco Bay Guardian "A exemplary demonstration that scholarship can be both intelligent and fun to read." Film Comment "Fills a major gap in our knowledge of the history of avant-garde film." Artforum