The 18th annual Media City Film Festival opens on Wednesday, May 23, with a special program of the films of UWindsor arts professor emeritus Iain Baxter&.

The screening, starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Capitol Theatre, is the first public presentation of Baxter&’s Super 8 films created from the mid-1960s through the 1970s, of historical significance to his practice and the larger field of conceptual art. It will feature 13 single-reel Super 8 films, shown in their original format, accompanied by an animated talk by Baxter& himself.

Organized jointly by the festival and the Art Gallery of Windsor, the program is intended to celebrate one of Canada’s most significant artists. Professor emeritus at the School of Visual Arts, Baxter& is a recipient of a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts and an Officer of the Order of Canada.

Admission is “pay what you can,” with a suggested donation of $5. The Capitol Theatre and Arts Centre is located at 121 University Avenue West.

Baxter& will also participate in a panel discussion with Adam Lauder of York University at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 25, at the Art Gallery of Windsor, 401 Riverside Drive West.

In addition to a screening of selections from Baxter&’s early video artworks and two new video projects commissioned from the artist by Media City, the event will feature a book signing of the new publication Iain Baxter&: Super 8 Information, and the the 224-page exhibition catalogue Iain Baxter&: Works 1958-2011, produced by the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Media City is an annual international festival of film and video art presented in Windsor and Detroit since 1994. Each year the festival attracts filmmakers and audience members from around the world to participate in five days of screenings, live performances, exhibitions and artist’s discussions. Learn more on the festival’s Web site.