Ten Skies is one of the great works of US experimental filmmaker James Benning: ten shots of the sky, each lasting ten minutes.

The experience of watching is fabulously rich and intense; the skyscapes are filled with life and change at the speed of light. All ten skies were filmed from his backyard in Southern California, each formed from weather systems, mountain land currents, wildfires, pollution and the wind.

This prolific but rarely shown filmmaker has had his work screened at film festivals including Sundance, Rotterdam, London and Berlin and at galleries such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

This event is part of the AV FESTIVAL (5-14 March 2010)

The AV Festival is the biennial international Festival of electronic arts, taking place from 5-14 March 2010.

This year the curatorial theme is energy: a universal force that connects, transforms and renews life. Exploring energy from scientific, technological, environmental and spiritual perspectives we present work that resonates across the Festival centres in NewcastleGateshead, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, and beyond.

For a whole programme of the AV festival, you can have a look at their website here

The Star and Shadow Cinema will be the late night hub of the AV Festival, in the middle of a botanical garden...

Whole programme for the AV Fesival at the Star and Shadow Cinema here