Kenneth Anger Dies: Groundbreaking Experimental Filmmaker And ‘Hollywood Babylon’ Author Was 96

deadline.com:

Kenneth Anger, the experimental filmmaker and author whose work was groundbreaking in its exploration of gay themes and erotica, has died.

He was 96. His death was announced by his gallery, Sprueth Magers. “It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of visionary filmmaker, artist and author Kenneth Anger (1927–2023),” the gallery posted on social media. “Kenneth was a trailblazer.

His cinematic genius and influence will live on and continue to transform all those who encounter his films, words and vision.” Anger’s films include the 1947 Fireworks, a legendary cinematic achievement in the history of American gay culture and film.

He also wrote and published Hollywood Babylon in 1959, a book that popularized scandals and pieces of film-land gossip that, while largely discredited over the years, have remained part of Hollywood lore. “Anger considered cinematographic projection a psychosocial ritual capable of unleashing physical and emotional energies,” said his gallery owners Monika Sprüeth and Philomene Magers in a statement. “The artist saw film as nothing less than a spiritual medium, a conveyer of spectacular alchemy that transforms the viewer.” MORE TO COME…It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of visionary filmmaker, artist and author Kenneth Anger (1927–2023).Kenneth was a trailblazer.