Stan Brakhage was one of the most influential of independent American filmmakers. From 1952 to 2003, he issued nearly 400 original films, ranfing in length from a few seconds to several hours. The recipient of many awards ad prizes, including the 1986 Maya Deren Award from the American Film Institute and the 1989 MacDowell Colony Medal, Brakhage was also a professor of film studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder.