Documentarist Shows Censored Films

Interesting (read it all via the link below): Five documentaries previously censored at Turkish festivals or cinemas will be shown at Documentarist, the festival that starts today saturday in Istanbul with a fine programme.

“A common trait linking all five documentaries is that each tells a story that does not comply with Turkey’s official nation-state policy”, as Today’s Zaman writes.

Indeed… you think after having seen the film by Swedish P-Å Holmquist and Suzanne Khardalian, “I hate Dogs – the Last Survivor” (of the 1915 atrocities/the genocide against the Ottoman Armenians), a totally shocking 29 minutes long documentary from (quoting from the website of the filmmakers) ”Garbis, (who) is a very energetic 99-year-old.; he has just met his new companion, Seta. They live in Paris, only a few blocks away from the Arc de Triomphe. Garbis, an Armenian, is one of the very last survivors of

the 1915 genocide. On the death march to Deir ez-Zor he lost the whole of the rest of his family in the genocide committed by the Young Turks.

This year (2005, ed.) it is ninety years since the genocide was committed and, to this day, Turkey has failed to acknowledge committing genocide on the Armenians, though the EU and many other European countries have recognised the fact. In his apartment, Garbis follows the news at his reading aid; he reads of how Turkey is approaching the EU in order eventually to become a member state –without even acknowledging the Turks’ part in the genocide. Garbis managed to create a good new life for himself in spite of the tragedy a trauma which nevertheless affects him profoundly, emotionally – he still has very powerful feelings about it.

Garbis has a deep secret, a secret that has made him hate dogs.  A film about the art of survival.”

And check the film list of the festival, conducted by energetic Emel Celebi, it has extraordinary quality even if funding is searched for this courageous festival.

http://www.peaholmquist.com/ihatedogs/

http://www.todayszaman.com/arts-culture_censored-documentaries-shown-at-documentarist-festival-in-istanbul_385526.html

http://www.documentarist.org/2015/fest/eng/home.html

 

 

MIFF 2015 Programme Announced

Still a young part of the MIFF, Moscow International Film Festival, the documentary programme of the upcoming 37th festival (June 19-26) has been announced. Good friend and documentary addicted promoter Georgy (”Gosha”) Molodtsov tells me that the “Free thought” programme is launched for the 10th time this year, the competition for the 5th. I was there for the jury the first year and enjoyed the hospitality of Sergey Miroshnichenko and Grigory Libergal and their team, including Mr. and Mrs, Molodtsov (Zhenya).

The competition programme includes American Matthew Heinaman’s “Cartel Land”, “The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson” by Julien Temple, UK, “Racing Extinction” (USA) by Louise Psihoyos, the only one I have seen: “The Visit”, again a fine essay by Danish Michael Madsen, “A Young Patriot” by Chinese Haibin Du, one more American “The Nightmare” by Rodney Ascher – and Russian “Larisa’s Crew” by Helena Lascari.

And in the “Free Thought” category that includes already awarded

films from other festivals the Moscow audience is well treated with 12 strong works like “Citizenfour”, “The Look of Silence”, “Of Men and War” and “Dreamcatcher”.

Back to Georgy Molodtsov, whose enthusiasm and love of statistics are present in this proud praise of “Free Thought”: Documentary program “Free Thought” was created in 2006 and represents the winners of the most prestigious awards and film festivals around the world, as well as a panorama of different genres, geographic spread and most crucial and urgent issues. During all this time there have been shown more than 150 films, among which 6 winners of the Academy Award, more than 60 winners of the Sundance Film Festival, more than 10 winners of one of the most prestigious festival of documentary films, IDFA in Amsterdam, as well as documentaries that were shown in Cannes, Venice, Locarno, Karlovy Vary, Leipzig, Toronto and many other places. More than 70% of films had more than one prize or award. Analysis of the Audience Award, that was introduced in 2008, shows that more than 40% of the films have a rating of 4.5 out of 5, more than 90% – higher than 4. This shows the great success of the films and the constant interest of the audience that increases each year.”

www.moscowfilmfestival.ru

Peter Anthony: Manden der reddede verden

Der er premiere i dag på en usædvanlig film om det alvorligste emne: den røde knap. Jeg har for længe siden læst Øyvind Kyrøs bog med samme titel og har glædet mig meget til filmen, som jeg ikke fik set ved den egentlige premiere på CPH.DOX sidste år. Jeg har netop været igennem en række anmeldelser og deler lige mine links:

DFI’s pressemeddelelse: dfi.dk/Nyheder

Per Juul Carlsens anmeldelse (5 stjerner): dr.dk/nyheder

Henrik Queitschs anmeldelse (5 stjerner): ekstrabladet.dk/filmmagasinet

Nanna Frank Rasmussens anmeldelse (5 stjerner): jyllandsposten.dk/protected

Jeppe Mørchs omtale før premiere på CPH:DOX 2014: ekkofilm.dk/artikler

Jyllands-Postens Bogguides anmeldelse (uden forfatternavn) af Øjvind Kyrøs bog: bog.guide.dk

SYNOPSIS

”Few people know of Stanislav Petrov… yet hundreds of millions of people are alive because of him.”

The Man Who Saved the World (Starring: Walter Cronkite, Robert De Niro, Matt Damon and Kevin Costner) tells the gripping true story of Stanislav Petrov – a man who single-handedly averted a fullscale NUCLEAR WORLD WAR, but now struggles to get his life back on track… before it is too late.

An epic and grand Cold War thriller that sends shivers down your spine and shows us just how close we came to Apocalypse … and it’s not over yet! With a NEW COLD WAR rising and thousands of nuclear weapons on hair-trigger alert, we still live under the same catastrophic danger that Stanislav faced back then. (http://themanwhosavedtheworldmovie.com/#home)

Helle Toft Jensen: Moussa Diallo

Titlen er vigtig, filmen hedder Moussa Diallo – manden og musikken, det lyder enkelt og traditonelt. Det er om en musiker og det er om hans musik, det er biografi eller portræt og det er reportage eller analyse. Det kan også være det hele, og så bliver det kompliceret. Filmen vil det hele og endda mere til og det bliver overdådigt, men også uklart, da hvert eneste element forkortes til enkeltsætning i et kludetæppe af filmisk tekst, som forlader cinematografien og bliver tv-dokumentar. Forlader kunsten og bliver journalistik.

Da emnet er en gribende biografi og en fremragende musik forrådes det let af journalistikkens smag og orientering, og i hvert fald jeg slipper koncentrationen og bliver tv-seer. Men to, tre ægte filmscener griber mig i et værk ellers renset for filmscener, og de antyder for mig, hvad det kunne have været, hvordan stoffet kunne være behandlet i et filmværk og fået en evighed over sig som Moussa Diallos livshistorie besidder og Moussas Diallos dybe musik rummer.

Jeg mener Helle Toft Jensen og klipperen Morten Giese har grebet forkert og valgt en uegnet genre til deres undersøgelse af dette sjældne og farverige stof. Den valgte underholdningsjournalistik forløser som jeg ser det ikke livshistoriens episke kraft og musikkens dybe skønhed. Der klippes i enkeltreplikker ikke i samvær af tale, i meget korte musikcitater ikke i medrivende forløb af lyd. Alle antydninger af forløb afmonterer hinanden og fortællingerne banaliseres i et mindste fælles mangefold i bedste mening af hensyn til de mange i bredden nu, men med en given afkald på de mange flere i længden som tager et filmværk ned af hylden i en lang fremtid, et filmværk, som bliver stående.

Så jeg tror man skal skynde sig, hvis man vil se Moussa Diallo – manden og musikken, en bestemt seværdig tv-dokumentar, se den som filmværk i biografen. For eksempel i Allinge i aften kl. 20: https://www.facebook.com/moussadiallofilm

Danmark 2015, 73 min.

SYNOPSIS

Moussa Diallo is an African musician, whose greatest teenage dream was to become the next Jimi Hendrix. So he had to run away from his authoritarian father in Mali. Moussa ends up in Copenhagen and with his hip afro look and great musical skills quickly becomes a funky bass player behind the groundbreaking music scene in the 1980’es – playing with all the great Danish bands from Sneakers and Marquis De Sade to Hanne Boel and Savage Rose. However, just as his biggest dream has finally come true, Moussa hits an all time low and embarks on a second journey to become who he truly is – this time taking him all the way back to Mali. (DFI fakta)

CREDITS

http://www.dfi.dk/faktaomfilm/film/en/90920.aspx?id=90920

PRESSEMEDDELELSE

http://www.dfi.dk/Nyheder/FILMupdate/2015/Marts/Ny-dokumentar-om-Moussa-Diallo.aspx

Jihlava: Julian Assange to Inspire Documentarians

A press release came in today with quite some news for those who intend to visit the 2015 Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival the coming autumn. The always innovative and sometimes also controversial festival in the Czech Republic – I had a very good time there last year with fine works and masterclasses with Wojciech Staron, Peter Kerekes and Miroslav Janek – proudly announces that the first guest of the Inspiration Forum of the festival is Julian Assange.

I quote festival director Marek Hovorka from the text received: “Julian Assange is a global icon, digital Robin Hood, who has managed to divide the society into his devout supporters and ardent opponents. While The New York Times describes him as the most influential journalist in the world, the republican presidential candidate has stated that “any punishment apart from hanging would be too kind to him… We have been trying to get Mr. Assange involved in the festival’s programme for over three years and we highly value his promise to participate, albeit through the mediation of the Ecuador Embassy. It is known that he rarely makes public appearances. Visitors of Jihlava IDFF will have a unique chance to ask him various questions. As part of the Inspiration Forum, Julian Assange will also collaborate with selected documentarists on their work.”

Read more about the plans for the festival on its site, link below.

The festival takes place October 27 – November 01 2015.

http://www.dokument-festival.com

Bona & Scalisi: Bath People

… or better, Gente dei Bagni, Italian documentary photographed, directed and edited by Stefania Bona and Francesca Scalisi, both graduated from Zelig Film School in Bolzano as did their producer Luigi Pepe (company Jump Cut). The film has already been awarded a couple of times at Italian festivals in Rome and Trento, and it would be wrong if it will not get praised outside Italy.

When I (who know the three of them from teaching at Zelig) was asked to comment on their project years back, I told them that there was nothing wrong in making a short film about people who come to a public bath. I was not convinced that the film could sustain one hour. I was wrong, it can, I was not bored one single moment even if there is not a story in modern-documentary-terms and no bigger conflict and not one or two main characters but many.

Observational documentary, fragments of situations, of conversations, glimpses of life and of people’s lives as they tell about it to each other, old people, young people, Romas who come from the camps often with their kids to get hot water and a bath, looong hair being combed and dried, arguments, xenophobic comments, homeless people but also people who have no shower at home, some come to have a coffee and a brioche as well, to kill loneliness, Muslim women with scarfs, members of the staff who disagree on letting customers come in if they have forgotten the ticket or if this is not stamped by the authorities – otherwise (if i got it right) it costs 3,5€ for two for a bath, and you get 30 minutes in the cabin. The bath is public, the city is Turin.

The success of the film stems from the positive, respectful and warm approach that you sense from the very beginning. The camera loves its protagonists and brings out beauty. The filmmakers have  taken the right choice to stay inside for the whole film. And first of all the excellent editing (the filmmakers were joined by Marzia Mete as editor, teacher at Zelig) that creates a strict rythmic balance between sequences with talk and silent ”pauses” with shots of the interior, accompanied by an original music score – a final song is a hymn written to Gente dei Bagni! When you have a film with so many characters and no linear narrative, you have to bring ”order to chaos”, to give the audience ”the feeling of being there” to quote once again the master of direct cinema Richard Leacock and through the editing offer them a film as was it a musical composition.

Of course the film is a social document, a mirror of a part of the society but I am happy that the filmmakers have refrained from making ”a message film” but let us be free to take what we wanr from Life.

http://www.gentedeibagni.it

Italy, 2015, 59 mins.

Ukranian Docu/Space

The photo is by Ukranian photographer and filmmaker Alexander Glyadyelov, whose exhibition was arranged during the 2015 DocuDays UA festival in Kiev. About him is made a 6 mins. short documentary with interview and examples from his work. Title “You see, My Brother”, the title of the exhibition as well.

The film is part of an “Online Cinema House which presents documentary films on human rights in Ukraine.” Let me quote some interesting words about the photographer, who also sees “war and maidan as events of the same patterns:

”Glyadyelov still makes films the way they made films half a century ago. He shoots his films in black-and-white and uses analog video cameras with manual focus, a mechanical shutter system and no burst mode. It seems as if these details are strictly technical, but it makes his works conceptually different from the stream of images we see every day. It is almost impossible to film like that in the middle of a fight. That is why the cameraman has to scan what is going on during pauses. In other words, he films not death, but life. Then he develops his films and makes photographic prints manually; that takes time. You cannot shoot news broadcasts this way – that’s why the cameraman has to gaze at non-transitory things.”

Back to the Docu/Space that includes two handful of films, many of them with English subtitles. The unstoppable team behind the festival launches the site and it gives you a good chance to see behind the news and get portraits of people, who fight for change:

“It is the first online cinema house in Ukraine, which presents documentary films on human rights. All the movies are about Ukrainians and filmed in Ukraine with the support of different NGOs in association with International Documentary Human Rights Film Festival Docudays UA. The characters are ordinary people who try to change the life in their country for the better. They go towards their aim insistently overcoming the external difficulties… Characters of the movies are united by pursuing justice, making good causes and acknowledging that the state starts from people…” 

Director and cameraman Roman Bondarchuk made the short documentary about the photographer and also “Roma Dream” that has been reviewed on this site before. And has been behind the realization of the project in general. Another film one I saw, “Peace”, 19 mins. long, made by Sergey Lysenko, gives a portrait of a patriot, whose answer to the question what he would ask Putin about if he met him was: “Nothing, I would do…”. Pause. “I would kill him”. Mir (Myroslav) – quoting from the DocuSpace site “has established a volunteer foundation in Kiev… and every other week he brings to the Anti-Terrorist operation zone food, uniforms, night vision googles, and other goods needed by the military. Between his trips he is a professional actor and acting teacher, director of dance numbers at SBT TV-channel on the project “So you think You can Dance”. Interesting, charismatic and you don’t always have to like characters in a film…

In other words: DocuSpace to be recommended.

http://myr.docuspace.org/eng/

Alina Rudnitskaya Interview

”Gateway to East European Documentaries” – that’s what the IDF (Institute of Documentary Film) calls its website DokWeb that I check out pretty often because of its information and articles, like the one by Filip Sebek, who has interviewed Russian director Alina Rudnitskaya, whose fine film ”Blood”, that has been awarded here there and everywhere, is to be screened in Prague later this month and is included in the Kinedok screenings ” so it is also possible to see it at non-traditional venues during the whole year within this project organized by Institute of Documentary Film.”

Alina Rudnitskaya talks about the conditions for documentary filmmaking in Russia as they are today, about the big audience that wants to watch documentaries, the insufficent support from the state and her inspiration, here is a quote:

”I was influenced by Czech cinematography of the 60s and 70s, because I am a fan of black and white movies. I like the ironical films by Miloš Forman as well as the bitter tragicomic films by Jiří Menzel and the paradoxical women’s world in the films by Věra Chytilová. Tragicomedy is my favourite genre. Laugh through tears. Life is very paradoxical, not only black or white.  Everything has its own contrast: birth – death, love – hate. People are multilayered personalities. I look for the inner collisions and such situations in which people react in various manners.  They cooperate and sometimes contradict and get in conflicts with each other. And one more aspect – I live in Russia where the situation often changes 180 degrees: yesterday one kind of values was acclaimed and today the values are quite different. And if you don’t have a good sense of humor you can get depressed.  We live in spite of it.  And I try to catch it in my films.”

Read the whole interview on:

http://www.dokweb.net/en/?

ALINA RUDNITSKAYA ON FILMKOMMENTAREN:

Blood (2014), Victory Day (2015), I will forget this day (2011) , Bitch Academy (2008), Besame mucho (2006), Civil Status (2005), Communal Residence (2002)

Torben Skjødt Jensen: It’s a Blue World

Når jeg skal nærme mig en forståelse af den her smukke film hjælper, det mig at notere for mig selv, at den ikke er en biografi over maleren Hans Henrik Lerfeldt, at den ikke er et portræt af Lerfeldt, men  at den er et biografisk essay med udgangspunkt i Lerfeldts værk og liv. Så får jeg lidt styr på de voldsomme og mærkværdige ting, jeg udsættes for.

Jeg får grundlæggende en beretning om Lerfeldts to liv, som aktiv maler og med kunstnervenner som Christian Kampmann og Wilhelm Freddie og så det sene liv som ensom misbruger i lejligheden, hvorfra han ikke kan flytte sig. Det sidste udgør det meste af filmens tid, filmens centrale nu, og det vil vist nærmest sige hans sidste år ved arbejdsbordet foran pladesamlingen. Og jeg får i erindringen to tidligere liv, et som vanartet barn og et som rejsende. Endelig får jeg en skildring af to indre liv, et i malerierne og et i Chet Bakers musik, det første som store udstillingsbilleder, det sidste som præcise, men lige så gribende skitser. Det er det biografiske stof.

Så er der essayet: Torben Skjødt Jensens besøg hos Lerfeldt, hans venskab med og kollegiale forhold til maleren i kunstens erkendelse. Det begynder med arbejdet med en storslået genskabelse af en række af Lerfeldts malerier som filmtableauer. Det er Skjødt Jensens optagethed og udforskning af det erotiske, det er ikke Lerfeldts, for han er færdig med det, afklaret, han har afleveret. Torben Skjødt Jensens ærinde er egentlig ikke fomidling af Lerfeldts værk, han både vil og gennemfører i stedet aldeles målrettet som i mange tidligere film sit eget essays undersøgelse.

I denne filmiske tekst har han med observerende kamera indbygget en rolig skildring af sit årelange samvær og venskab med og kollegiale forhold til Lerfeldt i det fælles arbejde. De mange lange optagelser med med maleren i sin stol er vigtige, de er klippet til langvarige blokke af tilstedeværelse og samtale, for jeg skal lære at lytte til ham, værdsætte ham, og det er lærerigt, og det er Skjøt Jensens dokumentariske metode. Jeg tror det er inde i dette kammerspil med dets replikker, gestikker og skanderinger, jeg har chancen for at finde filmværkets kerne af ny indsigt i og ny forståelse for det udsatte livs kunstneriske formulering, i Lerfeldts billeder først, i Skjødt Jensens filmiske gendigtninger næst efter, endelig ved det biografiske lag af arkivstof, erindringer og reportage. Dette komplicerede værk er som altid for mig at se, i sådanne forehavender som lykkes, tekst ved tekst, værk ved værk. Kongeniale. Jeg tror jeg med denne nye version af It’s a Blue World nærmer mig en forståelse af Torben Skjødt Jensens samlede filmværk, af hans mange film. De er ofte fine biografier, fascinerende reportager, elegante montager, men der er mere end det…

Danmark 1990, 69 min. / 2015, 110 min. (Den nye version blev sendt på DR K for nogen tid siden. Skjødt Jensen gør i en smuk prolog rede for projektets lange historie. Den nye version indeholder revisioner på grundlag af  arkivmateriale købt af Lerfeldts arvinger herunder først og fremmest båndene fra samtalerne med Christian Kampmann. Det var der jeg så den. Jeg ved ikke, om den er i en distribution nu. Versionen fra 1990 kan streames på filmstriben.dk)

SYNOPSIS

The film »It’s a Blue World« is the result of more than two years of work. It is not a portrait of the Danish painter Hans Henrik Lerfeldt, but a film about his artistic universe. Hans Henrik Lerfeldt who died in July 1989 when the production of IT’S A BLUE WORLD was almost completed, reached international fame by the late seventies. At this point of his life he had refined his style to an almost photographic accuracy combined with a choice of motifs that were often of a pornographic nature. This made his art – as well as his person – rather controversial. Director Torben Skjødt Jensen worked intimately with Hans Henrik Lerfeldt to make the film and in accordance with Lerfeldt’s wishes. The controversial nature of his work has not been toned down or made respectable. Their collaboration resulted in hours of recorded conversations and glimpses of Lerfeldt’s daily life, some of which have been integrated into the film. Others have been the basis for fictional sequences. Together with adaptations of Lerfeldt’s paintings they form a picture of Hans Henrik Lerfeldt’s blue world. (dfi.dk)

Danmark 1990, 69 min. / 2015, 110 min. 

CREDITS

Se den komplette liste på dfi.dk/faktaomfilm

FILMOGRAFI

Til nu har vi her på siden kun skrevet om disse Torben Skjødt Jensen film: City Slang Redux (2011), Manifest 2083 (2013), Krøyers yderste nat (2014), All my Dreams Come True (2014), Heidi (2014) Eksil (2014). Men der er jo mange flere, se for eksempel DFI’s liste på faktasiden om instruktøren. 

LITTERATUR / LINKS

Maria Marcus: Drømmen og destruktionen (Der Traum und die Destruktion) i katalog til udstillingen Hans Henrik Lerfeldt-erotisk symbolisme i Danmark (- erotischer Symbolismus in Dänemark, Sønderjyllands Kunstmuseum, Tønder 1985.

http://dk.timefor.tv/i/101541429839000-dokland-its-a-blue-world-henrik-lerfeldt (DR K program)

http://www.filmstriben.dk/fjernleje/film/details.aspx?filmid=9000000431 (Streaming af 1990 versionenpå filmstriben.dk)

Laurits Munch-Petersen: Skyggen af en helt

Historien om digteren og maleren Gustaf Munch-Petersen (GM-P) er velkendt, i hvert fald blandt læsende mennesker i min generation. 26 år gammel forlod han sit hjem og sin gravide kone i Gudhjem for at drage til Spanien, som frivillig i kampen mod Franco. Han kom aldrig tilbage.

Barnebarnet Laurits har nu lavet en film, hvor han rejser til Spanien for at finde ud, hvor morfaren kæmpede og faldt. Og til Bornholm for at finde ud af, hvem han var. Hverken han – Laurits – eller Ursula – GM-P’s datter som han aldrig så – har haft kontakt med enken Lisbeth, som stadig bor i Gudhjem i huset, som hendes mand forlod en morgen i slutningen af 1930’erne.

Laurits Munch-Petersen opsøger Lisbeth, som tøvende lukker ham ind og tilsvarende tøvende til sidst giver barnebarnet svar på nogle af hans spørgsmål om GM-P.

Parallelt dermed, og som ramme om hele historien, ses Laurits Munch-Petersen i samtale med en englænder på en bar i Spanien. Englænderen lever af at hjælpe familier med at finde ud af, hvor deres kære kæmpede og faldt.

Det lyder på papir som en spændende historie… men øv øv, trods store forventninger og sympati for filmens ærinde: Det er en kikser, som hopper ind og ud af alle tangenter, med scener som ikke får lov at stå så de får en følelsesmæssig effekt, det hele er smurt ind i musik fra ende til anden, klip fra surrealistiske film virker påklistrede, hvor de kunne have bragt mystik og poesi ind i fortællingen, og kunne der ikke have været en bedre måde at få Ole Sohn og andre til at placere GM-P som den fremragende kunstner han nåede at blive?

Oveni den allerede komplicerede fortællestruktur lægges at Laurits Munch-Petersen forlader sin gravide kone – som morfaren gjorde det – for at møde sin mormor – senere er han hjemme og til stede ved fødslen. OMG!

De bedste (iscenesatte) scener falder mod slutningen af filmen, optaget i Gudhjem nede ved klipperne, hvor mormor Lisbeth bader hver morgen, og i fuld fart i bil op ad hovedgadens bakke til købmanden… og i værelset hvor Laurits får mormor til at tage en lille æske frem med få af Gustafs ting, bl.a. hans fyldepen. Men mange af disse sceners intensitet bliver ødelagt af det ufølsomme klip.

En familiehistorie som aldrig får lov at folde sig ud, som mangler ro og flow og et fortællemæssigt fokus. Ærgerligt.

Danmark, 2015, 90 mins.

Filmen får premiere den 3. Juni i biografer landet over via DoxBio.