Join Nightingale Projects for an evening of meta-physical education. To many, sports are akin to religion—an attempt to use your body and mind to reach higher planes of existence; to win, to defeat, to overthrow. However, there is more “at play” than the drive to win; there is opportunity for focused meditation, spiritual release, and group therapy. From childhood play to professional perfection, fans and athletes use sports as both an escape and a path to build community, not unlike making and looking at art. The short films in this program attempt to define the mystical and transcendent practice of playing and watching sports. Program: Jesse Malmed, A National Anthem, live performance, 5 min.; HIGH FIVE (1999, dir. Ben Stone, 1 min.), SPACY (pictured, 1981, dir. Takashi Ito, 10 min.), WHEN CANADIANS ATTACK (2005, dir. Brett Kashmere, 4 min.), UNSPEAKABLE HEAP (2023, dir. Kara Ditte Hanson, 13 min.), TOO SMALL TO BE A BEAR (2020, dir. Paige Taul, 5 min.), BALLPLAYER (1986, dir. Chip Lord, 13 min.), and JOE DIMAGGIO 1,2,3 (1991, dir. Anne McGuire, 11 min.). Programmed by Emily Eddy. Followed by a discussion with Jesse Malmed, Paige Taul and Emily Eddy.