When experimental film emerged as an international phenomenon in the mid-20th century, nothing was more important to its ascendance than the five EXPRMNTL film festivals held in Knokke, Belgium, between 1949 and 1974. With copious clips from radical films plus recollections by Jonas Mekas, Peter Kubelka, Agnes Varda, Birgit Hein, Harun Farocki, Shirley Clarke, and others, this documentary provides a sweeping overview of these sometimes chaotic festivals, replete with controversies and confrontations. At the center of it all was Jacques Ledoux, an impresario whose festivals featured not only experimental film but other avant-garde art forms as well, all presented in a swanky seaside casino. Bringing things up to date (as if to prove that innovation never sleeps), Michael Snow presents a condensed version of Wavelength­—lasting 30 seconds! With highlights ranging from the political upheaval of 1968 to nascent video art in 1974, this lively film presents Knokke as the flickering star of experimental film. TW