Prizes for Deconstruction of an Artist

Latvian director Peteris Krilovs’ documentary about legendary artist Gustav Klucis took several prizes at the National award ceremony in Riga a week ago: best director, best editor (Danish Julie Vinten), best script (Pauls Bankovskis) and best sound mix (Andris Barons). A big triumph for the company Vides Film Studio and its energetic leader Uldis Cekulis, who could also find joy in the fact that Maris Maskalans was given the prize as Best Cameraman for his work in “Three Men and a Fish Pond”, another production of the studio.

To our Danish and Swedish readers: The film about Klucis (one hour version) was shown on Swedish television (SVT2) yesterday and will be repeated October 11 13.30 and October 14 23.05.

http://svt.se/2.109829/1.1715907/gustav_klucis 

http://www.vfs.lv/?lang=2

Frederick Wiseman

Respect – the idfa has sent out this press release:

In honour of his 80th birthday, this year’s IDFA will be devoting special attention to the work of Frederick Wiseman. Wiseman has directed and produced dozens of documentaries, which often focussed on social relations within American institutions. He is regarded as one of the major exponents of Direct Cinema. Alongside a retrospective programme compiled by himself, screening of his latest film and a masterclass, the festival will also be looking at Wiseman’s work as a theatre director.
 
Wiseman (USA, 1930) made his debut as a documentary maker in 1967 with Titicut Follies, about a psychiatric clinic for convicted criminals. The film paints a shocking picture of the humiliating way the detainees were treated, which led to Wiseman being sued many times by the authorities. Many of his later films, including High School, Hospital and Near Death, are also studies of social relations in a variety of – usually American – institutions.
Although he himself would disagree, Wiseman’s work is often included in the category Direct Cinema, the documentary movement, which

strove for the representation of objective reality. In the early 1960s, the introduction of portable cameras and sound recording equipment made it possible for filmmakers to follow their subjects up close, like a ‘fly on the wall’. Wiseman, however, never asserted that his observational style was an attempt to film an objective reality, as he believes film to be by definition a personal and subjective medium.
 
Wiseman has been a faithful IDFA attendee from the very beginning of the festival. He chaired the first jury in 1988, thereby lending tremendous support to a then small festival. 2004 saw the big IDFA Direct Cinema debate, attended by the movement’s foremost representatives: Robert Drew, Albert and David Maysles, Richard Leacock, D.A. Pennebaker and Frederick Wiseman.
To mark his 80th birthday in January 2010, at IDFA’s request Wiseman has selected nine of his old films to be screened at this year’s festival. In addition, Wiseman will give a masterclass, in which he will discuss his work and working method.   
The Frederick Wiseman Retrospective will include Titicut Follies (1967), High School (1968), Hospital (1969), Basic Training (1971), Welfare (1975), Model (1980), Missile (1987), Near Death (1989), Belfast, Maine (1999). His latest film, La Danse – le Ballet de l’Opera de Paris (2009), about the famous ballet company in Paris, also screens in the Reflecting Images: Masters programme.
 
Alongside making documentaries, Wiseman has also directed a number of plays. In late 2005, for example, he directed Happy Days by Samuel Beckett for the Comédie Française in Paris. Together with French actress Catherine Samie, who played the lead, Wiseman will elucidate on his version of this theatre classic at IDFA 2009 by means of live performance, lectures and fragments of recordings of the play.

Best European Documentary Film

A press release from The European Film Academy announces the nominations in the category EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY 2009 – PRIX ARTE. There is a total of ten documentary films nominated, and the jury is Nino Kirtadzé, documentary filmmaker, France/Georgia & Franz Grabner, producer / editor ORF, Austria & Viktor Kossakovsky, documentary filmmaker, Russia. Prize to be announced by December 12. The films are:

THE BEACHES OF AGNES (Les Plages d’Agnès)
Agnès Varda, France (reviewed on this site)
BELOW SEA LEVEL
Gianfranco Rosi, Italy / USA
BURMA VJ
Anders Østergaard, Denmark (reviewed on this site)
COOKING HISTORY (Ako Sa Varia Dejiny)
Peter Kerekes, Slovakia / Austria / Czech Republic (reviewed on this site) (photo)
THE DAMNED OF THE SEA (Les Damnés de la Mer)
Jawad Rhalib, Belgium
DEFAMATION
Yoav Shamir, Denmark / Austria / Israel / USA
THE HEART OF JENIN (Das Herz von Jenin)
Leon Geller & Marcus Vetter, Germany
PIANOMANIA
Lilian Franck & Robert Cibis, Germany / Austria
THE SOUND OF INSECTS – RECORD OF A MUMMY
(Das Summen der Insekten – Bericht einer Mumie)
Peter Liechti, Switzerland
THE WOMAN WITH THE 5 ELEPHANTS (Die Frau mit den 5 Elefanten)
Vadim Jendreyko, Switzerland / Germany

http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/2009/10/08/efa-documentary-2009-prix-arte-nominations-and-jury-members/

Steen Møller Rasmussen: Tjener for en bydreng

Peter Laugesen sagde engang (jeg husker det – er sikker – men jeg kan ikke finde stedet), at en bog skal indeholde det hele. Jeg har nok ikke forstået, hvad han mente, men jeg har hele tiden siden vidst det. AT det er sådan. Al ting er i bogen. Hele tanken, alle digtene, samtlige billeder. Den samlede eksistens og virkelighed.

Sådan er det også, hvis der tilsyneladende er et emne, et tema. En afgrænsning, en ramme. Eller udtrykkeligt en titel på bogen (som Retro, som Den hellige Hieronymus’ damekreds, som Tjener for en bydreng). Temaet eller titlen er indgangen. Indeni er det hele. Hver gang. I alle bøger – af den slags.

Sådan er det også med film af den slags. Steen Møller Rasmussens film er alle den slags, i hvert fald dem, han selv har bestemt over. (Han har ofte været, er ofte, bydreng, præcis og loyal). Samlingen i denne dvd-udgivelse (lagt ind i en bog) er helt hans egen og i den grad den slags. Og alle delene er egensindige, ubestikkelige, hensynsløse. Samlingen har ligget længe på mit bord, næsten anklagende i tillokkelsen. Jeg har tøvet, for det er stort. Filmene og bogen er det hele. Jeg kunne ikke ønske mig mere. jeg kunne ikke ønske det anderledes. Jeg forstår det ikke, men det er sådan.. 

Steen Møller Rasmussen: Tjener for en bydreng – Richard Winther og mig, 2009, dvd med tre film, Richard Winther – en undersøgelse, 1999, 21 min., Wie, 2005, 16 min. og Richard Winthers hus, 2008, 78 min. + bog, 160 sider med biografisk essay af fotografier og tekster. Forlaget Plagiat, 2009 www.kunsteen.dk  

Golden Prizes for Silver films

Sounds enigmatic the title of this blog text. It refers to a new initiative of the Institute of Documentary Film in Prague, often mentioned on this site. Organised together with the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival the East Silver ” is the first documentary market dedicated exclusively to Central and Eastern Europe. Its main goal is to provide an annual overview of new documentary releases, create a comprehensive catalogue and an open video library, accessible to a broad circle of film professionals (broadcasters, major film festivals, sales agents) throughout the year.” And it works very well, the above signed blog writer can confirm. And the new prize to be given in connection with the festival in Jihlava goes like this:

”The East Silver Market introduces the new Silver Eye Award. Silver Eye is an award presented to best short, mid-length and feature documentary films of the East Silver Market. Documentaries are selected from the 2009 East Silver Market submissions. Best films will each be awarded EUR 1500; winners will be announced October 31, 2009, during the Closing Ceremony of the 13th Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival”.

Several of the nominated films have been reviewed and reported about on this site: The Bell by Audrius Stonys, Rabbit a la Berlin by Bartek Konopka, Disco and the Atomic War by Jaak Kilmi and one of the films in the superb series by Lukas Pribyl, Forgotten Transports to Poland (Photo).

www.docuinter.net

DR2 Dokumania: Armenien i krig og fred

The title is in Danish because I want our Danish readers to go to DR2 tomorrow,  tuesday night at 20.45 to watch a very strong and personal documentary by Vardan Hovhannisyan (photo), who took years to make this honest and touching war-and-peace film based on material shot by himself when he was part of the horror. A fine description of the film was found on the site of IDF, the initiator of the development of documentaries programme called Ex Oriente that I have been part of for more than 6 years. Vardan is one of most gentle persons I know from these years, a man who is totally dedicated to documentary making as a producer and director. I have often written about him and his company on this site. The text:

Many historians cite the Nagorno-Karabagh War (1989-1994) between Armenia and Azerbaijan as the beginning of the collapse of the Soviet Union. For journalist and former prisoner of war Vardan Hovhannisyan, who lived alongside Armenian soldiers for four years, the war is something he struggles to explain to his son and reconcile with his own sense of decency. Armed with video footage he shot on the front lines 12 years earlier, Hovhannisyan sets out to find his “brothers” from the war, only to discover that many of them have become “casualties of peace.” Felo, a loving and conscientious father, divorced following the war and became estranged from his family. Jude, a young soldier who distinguished himself so bravely in battle, is now in prison for marijuana possession. Kadjik hears voices in his head and is confined to a mental institution. A personal meditation on the horrors of war and its effects is shown through the eyes of Armenian journalist Vardan Hovhannisyan. Weaving together footage from his country’s 1994 conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Hovhannisyan creates a devastating portrait of lasting damage inflicted by the battlefield.

http://www.warandpeacefilm.com/
http://www.dr.dk/DR2/Dokumania
www.docuinter.net

Another Planet Awarded Again

A couple of months ago this was posted on filmkommentaren.dk: The city of Kazan in Tatarstan in Russia, around 800 km East of Moscow, hosts the 4th International festival of Muslim Cinema, ”Golden Minbar”, taking place September 30 to October 4. 14 films have been selected for the documentary competition, 3 of them have been reviewed on this site: Hungarian Ferenc Moldovanyi’s beautiful ”Another Planet” (photo top right of the site), Czech/Canadian Petr Lom’s actual Iran-film ”Letters to the President” and Polish Beata Dzianowicz film from Afghanistan, ”Kites” (photo).

Prizes were given last night, and first prize went as in many other festivals worldwide to the film of Moldovanyi, “Another Planet”, whereas Beata Dzianowicz received the prize as the best director. Both films deal with the lives of children.

www.miradox.ru

Festivals: CPH:DOX

… and the still young documentary festival in Copenhagen announces some audience attractions for its coming festival, November 6-15: We are now in the final stages of programming for CPH:DOX 2009, and we will regularly be announcing selected titles and revealing what else is in store in November here on the website. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the liberalisation of visual pornography in Denmark as the first place in the world. One of this year’s special series will focus on the most popular documentary genre of them all and will highlight what sex on film also is. Amongst other titles, we will screen the brand new Swedish feminist film project ‘DIRTY DIARIES’ by Mia Engberg, which provokes more than mere reflection.

There is also plenty political provocation in the political section of the programme, which is as strong as ever. We look forward to showing audiences the adaptation of Naomi Klein’s revealing bestseller ‘THE SHOCK DOCTRINE’, which she has headed in collaboration with Michael Winterbottom and Matt Whitecross. We also welcome the the fearless activist duo The Yes Men and their newest film ‘THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD’ (photo). (See filmkommentaren.dk).

In a videocracy the image rules. In Italy all images are owned by one man. The succesful and surreal media revolution of Silvio Berlusconi is the subject of ‘VIDEOCRACY’, which has been selected for the year’s DOX:AWARD competition. Politics and plastic boobs are part of a systematised symbiosis in the country, where Silvio Berlusconi has recently appointed one of his former TV bimbos Minister for Equality.

Director Erik Gandini of the Swedish film collective ATMO grew up in Italy himself and zaps from the hopeful karate-singer over the powerful TV agent with Mussolini on his phone to the ultra cynical pimp of the paparazzi, who blackmails celebrities with his photos. ‘VIDEOCRACY’ has been one of the most talked about films in the international film festivals in Venice and Toronto this autumn, and it is a frightening diagnosis of the state of democracy in a country, where the dream om fame has seduced all common sense, and where power and entertainment are two sides of the same complex matter.

http://www.cphdox.dk

Dola Bonfils: K-notatet

Tim Sloth Jørgensen er den gennemgående uheldige helt i tv´s fortsatte reportagefilm fra forsvarskommandoen. Jeg følger den med stigende spænding og voksende forfærdelse. Den mand er altså vores anfører i krigen, vi er havnet i, hvis vi altså er et vi, en samlet nation i dette. Jeg tøver lidt.

Hans forgænger i embedet, Jesper Helsø, var en noget anden type helt. Han havde hovedrollen i Dola Bonfils grundige skildring af ham, hans nærmeste folk og begivenhederne under pressede situationer på samme location. Helsø spiller rollen barsk og morsom. Med autoritet og udstråling. Tim Jørgensen ses hele tiden som hans nærmeste medarbejder. Det var dengang. Nu sidder han med det hele i egne hænder. Måske. Måske ikke.

I Bonfils fremragende film kommer vi helt ind i de inderste rum og overværer med fryd, hvordan i andre sager, pressechefens spin fabrikeres. Det er lærerigt og muntert skildret. Men filmens komedietone holdes i stram snor og autoriteten understreges af den kyndige fortællerstemme læst kongenialt af Lasse Jensen. Jeg ser en militær ledelse, som jeg respekterer, selv om jeg ikke just er tilhænger af organisationens berettigelse.

Nu er organisationen til grin på en ganske anden måde. I det daglige tv-afsnit. Og der er ikke forsonende kompetente træk at få øje på. På den baggrund er det yderst lærerigt at finde Dola Bonfils film frem og gøre sammenlignende studier af to forsvarschefer.

Dola Bonfils: K-notatet, 2005, 90 min. Kan lånes på biblioteket (dvd) www.bibliotek.dk  og ses på www.filmstriben.dk via visse bibliotekers hjemmesider.

Karin Westerlunds andre film

Karin Westerlunds film er fortsat aktuelle for os i FOF-filmklubben efter oplevelsen med Gud, lugt og hende, som ikke bare slipper og bliver til glemsel. Vi må have fat i de tidligere kortfilm og den ene lange film. Desværre kan man kun vanskeligt komme til at se dem, de findes godt nok på biblioteket, men kun i VHS kopier. Westerlunds film fortjener nu at udkomme på dvd. Samlet. Det drejer sig ud over Gud, lugt og hende om fire titler, tre kortfilm og en lang:

Lisanak hosanak insonto sanka, 1993, få minutter, som findes i SFC-antologien, Jeg civiliserer mig om morgenen (titlen på Kirsten Hammanns bidrag). Den understreger, at med Westerlunds film er det nødvendigt med forkundskaber. Nødvendigt at kende betydningen af titlens arabiske ordsprog: ”Min tunge er min hest, og passer jeg godt på den, passer den godt på mig.” Derefter er det helt enkelt. Den korte film er reduceret til en enkelt idé, én eneste sammenstilling af billedsidens smukke heste og en telefonsamtale mellem kvinden (i Stockholm vil jeg tro) og manden (i Cairo vil jeg tro). Kan sproget betvinges, så de to kan mødes? En tanke parat til at udfolde sig, hvad den så har ventet 15 år på. Hvilken vedholdenhed!

The last stranger, 1998, 46 min. Jeg har bestilt filmen via www.bibliotek.dk og venter og vender nok tilbage med en kommentar. Jeg så den dengang for ti år siden. Nu tror jeg, den falder helt på plads. I mig, fordi den hele tiden nok har været del af et værk på vej.

If I give you my humbleness, don’t take away my pride, 1999, 14 min. Gunilla Röör og Ashraf og Abdel Baki spiller og gennemlever en stor erotisk scene ude I den ægyptiske ørken. Jeg så den dengang, glemte den ikke, overhovedet ikke! Og det gjorde de to heller ikke, vil jeg tro. I Gud, lugt og hende mødes de så igen. I den samme ørken. I en videreudvikling af det forskelligt gensidige begær og den fortsat psykologiske magtkamp, kamp for at blive forstået af den anden.   

Helgoland, 2001, 12 min. Et film-frikvarter, som slet ikke har med de andre film at gøre. Men den skal jo være med, fordi instruktøren er med og fordi vi ser netop det, hun ser, når hun tager ud til badeanstalten sommer og vinter, gennemfører ritualet, fastholder fortagendet.

Og så. På den samlede dvd-udgivelse, som jeg sådan ønsker og anbefaler, skal jo forrest være den nye film, som lige har haft dansk premiere, Gud, lugt og hende, 2008, 93 min. Nu må Zentropa i gang med at finde pengene og få den dvd-ting lavet. Det skylder de os, og det skylder de Karin Westerlunds seje træk og dybe originalitet.