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This page is a list of Web sites in English concerning Warren Sonbert, an experimental or avant-garde filmmaker active in New York and San Francisco from 1966 until his death from HIV/AIDS in San Francisco in 1995. I was an admirer of his films, and also his friend for almost three decades. My intention here is not to list every Sonbert reference on the Web, but rather those sites that seem most useful. If you would like to propose an addition, or if you spot a broken link, please email me. I'm not guaranteeing the accuracy of these sites; the fact that I've indicated a few that have notable factual errors doesn't mean all the rest are mistake-free. Except for the "Screenings" section, these sites are somewhat in order of my preference.

Eventually I will post my own reminiscences of Warren, in the form of a response to the obnoxious article by Philip Lopate (see below), and one of my articles on his films.

The Web is so easy to use that many have a tendency to look first there for knowledge on any subject. This is a serious mistake; a good library, used well, with intra-library loan also used, is a far better way to learn. And please keep in mind that the best way to understand Sonbert's work is by viewing as many of his films as possible — again and again and again. Fred Camper

Warren Sonbert on the Web

General Articles
Wikipedia essay.
Warren Sonbert's Films, by Jon Gartenberg.
Brief Candles, The Films of Warren Sonbert, by Gary Morris (2000)
Waxing World Weary: The Films of Warren Sonbert, by Gary Morris (2000).
A Witness to Life, by Ed Howard.

Reminiscences
Warren Sonbert: A Remembrance, by Paul Arthur.
A page with a few reminiscences from friends and a filmography (a few factual errors). Not all the links work, but here are some related letters.
A few comments by Jeff Scher.
Warren Sonbert: A Memoir, by Phillip Lopate. This is extremely problematic, and arguably an obnoxious misrepresentation;. eventually I will be posting a response and alternative reminiscence. It also contains several outrageous factual errors, which remain uncorrected a year after Mr. Lopate was informed of them. Lopate did correct some of his worst errors in the version of his essay that appears in Loss Within Loss: Artists in the Age of AIDS, edited by Edmund White, but the new version of his essay receives an excellent and appropriate (though in my view still too kind) critique from David L. Kirp, in his review of the book. Kirp apparently didn't know Warren, but still could see some of the problems with Lopate's "personal essay."
A story about Sonbert's friendship with my late friend Kirk Winslow.
A brief mention of Sonbert's film Noblesse Oblige. his editing style, and its possible influence on David Simpson's Halsted Street, USA.
A brief mention of Sonbert's long-time affair with choreographer Jerome Robbins.

My Writing on Warren Sonbert on the 'Net
Carriage Trade, a capsule review, originally published as a "Critic's Choice" in the Chicago Reader, April 12, 2002.
A few lines on Noblesse Oblige.
Review of The Cup and the Lip (and of Ernie Gehr's Signal — Germany on the Air) available for purchase for $1.95.
Review of Friendly Witness available for purchase for $1.95.

Articles on Specific Films
A very nice appreciation, mostly on Carriage Trade, with a few comments on Whiplash, by Doug Dillaman.
A post on Carriage Trade and Whiplash, Michael Sicinski. This is the commentary that recommended that Dillaman see the films he wrote on in the entry just above.
Rude Awakening, a film by Warren Sonbert, by John Matturri (1976), available as an html document or a pdf document.
Friendly Witness, capsule review.

Distributors of Sonbert's Films on Film
Canyon Cinema distributes most of Sonbert's films.
The Film-Makers' Cooperative also has Carriage Trade.

Other Resources
Partial filmography, incomplete bibliography.

Selected Past Screenings
A Tribute to Warren Sonbert, San Francisco Cinematheque, 1995 (This was planned before his death as possibly a final tribute, but he died three weeks before it).
Pacific Film Archives Show, 1995.
Whiplash, at the Turin International Film Festival, 1997.
A Tribute to Warren Sonbert and the Estate Project, San Francisco International Film Festival, 1998.
Guggenheim Museum Retrospective, press release (1999).
Retrospective at SF MOMA, 2000.

Writing by Sonbert
Sonbert could be generous and perceptive in his comments on others' films, including his brief notes on films by Peter Hutton and Matthias Müller.

Photographs of Sonbert
Photo, on a page on the site of his friend David Ehrenstein.
Warren behind his Bolex.
Warren on the cover of Wheeler Winston Dixon's book, The Exploding Eye.

Materials in Library Special Collections
Unpublished paper on Sonbert by Gerard Malanga, at Syracuse University.

Miscellany
A very brief note on Warren in an article on gay New Orleans history, included here because I think he would have liked it.

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