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| Josef Valušiak, Donašeč dobrých filmových zpráv 4/2008 | |||
A Personal Account of the State of the B16 – 2008 A year before its 50th jubilee anniversary, our Brno Sixteen is cheerfully expanding. According to our now beloved statistics, we can see that in contrast to last year’s 253 films (from 33 countries), this year just three short of 300 were sent in (from 39 countries). This is almost 20% more! Hats off to the selection committee, whose members also shoulder the responsibility for the organization of the entire festival. (For their many years of commitment to the B16, people like Bezdek, Strubl, Taubingerova, Tryhukova and others deserve, if not busts, then at least a jubilee commemoration plaque to be placed beside the Town Hall crocodile!) After considerable psychological and physical determination, they selected 85 films for competition (surprisingly, 56 of these were student (S) films, almost double that of the 13 amateur (A) and 16 independent professional (IP) films combined. The festival events were further enhanced by numerous non-competition screenings, film school collections, world premiers of documentary and fiction films, and (how fitting) a short filmmaking workshop for children and youth. Even for the most hardened cinephile, this was an unmanageably large, heart-attack inducing affair! For the most part, the quality of a festival is judged primarily by its competition films, which is where my enthusiasm faltered a bit. Last year, I was not the only one who walked away from the festival with a general feeling of melancholy, even depression, as the screen “exuded heaviness, pain and sadness” (see Donašeč 4/2007). This year I would not call it depression. In fact, there were more good humorous films, some of which were even of prize-worthy quality. Nevertheless, it seems to me that the films presented were emotionally a little bit colder; they didn’t get under the skin of the viewer quite so much. What dominated was the well-crafted superficial narrative common to commercial cinema. The foundation for such films is generally a good script of an interesting story or situation, which creates a specific kind of atmosphere, and most importantly, interesting relationships based on well written (and acted) characters. One particular example of this style came in the form of Koniec lata (The End of Summer by Karolina Bielawska – 3rd place S). On a practically empty beach, a man and women meet, both separated. The growing sympathies between them, however, create an irreconcilable aversion between their daughters, each one jealous of the other parent. An even higher award in the student category was given to the German film Dunkelrot (Dark Red by Frauke Thielecke – 2nd place S). The “hero” of the story is truly heroic – a man patiently taking care of his wife suffering from amnesia. One day he finds some old photographs proving that she had had an affair long ago with a man named André. In a rage he decides to have her put into an institution. In the end, he changes his mind and continues to look after her lovingly, even though she starts calling him André. Not only is this about the rare theme of forgiveness, but also a work that is precise and proportionate in its direction, acting and most importantly its emotional message – all in a space of 12 minutes – placing it among the best of this year’s festival. In the student category the jury gave the highest prize to the Czech film (so why the English title?) I Am Bigger and Better (Martin Duda – 1st place S), even though its theme was somewhat simpler. It is about a conflict between a renowned theatre star and his charismatic understudy, which happens to be a robot! The futuristic exteriors are not excessively detailed, but give a great impression. By contrast, the secondary motif of the director’s doubts seems a little over-played. The excellent acting, appealing theme and especially its good execution ensured the film its well-deserved success. However, the most successful film by far and the one to win the grand prize of the festival was the German-Swiss student film Auf der Strecke (On the Line) by Reto Caffi. According to the dictionary, “die strecke” means “distance”, probably a metaphor of the secret which the protagonists share, or “line” as in a metro line, in which they meet. The half-hour long psychological drama captivates the audience by telling the story of a sales clerk and security guard of a large shopping centre. Their gradually developing relationship is interrupted when out of jealousy the man avoids helping another man who is attacked by thugs in the metro. The next day he finds out that this man was the woman’s brother. In addition to precise filmmaking (including the acting), the main asset of the film is its basic theme: the importance and value of the increasingly rare aspect of human beings – conscience. This film is complex art, say theoreticians, and I agree. Nevertheless, in contrast with my sound technician colleague, I am convinced that the visual component of film should be primary. Want proof? A film without an image is a radio play, therefore a completely different genre. Conversely, a film without sound is an art form in itself, which has been proven by the great masterworks of the 30 year long history of silent cinema, as well as many films today which still use interesting processes and experimental forms. For this reason I dislike cinematography that is tangled in weak imagery and where dialogue dominates, as is the overwhelming style of television serials and similar programs. Unfortunately, some shorts of this type were awarded prizes here this year. One example is Lies (2nd place A), primarily a medium shot monolog of a man who is constantly pretending something and lying to himself (even though it is true that as far as amateur productions were concerned, it was a decent piece of work). Then there was Fillidor (2nd place IP), a somewhat more filmic (especially its final gun duel showdown) philosophical dispute between two professors, who give exemplary demonstrations of their philosophies on their partners. Even more distant for me was the coffee-table debate of the “cool-party” in Coolness (honourable mention IP). The sure-fire successes and audience favourites were the humorous films which had interesting stories and absurdities or slapstick. One comedy with a discrepancy between reality and narration (again a monologue!) was about unusual family relations. The film Rodinná sešlost (Family Reunion by Martin Bohadlo – 3rd place A) generally had a relaxed tempo, but climaxes at the end, even though you already have an idea about what will happen. An even blacker point was made by Swiss filmmaker Marc Schippert in Gehrig Kommt! (Here Comes Gehrig – 3rd place IP).The humour of the film lies in the demonstration of various complicated gadgets ensuring the comfort of the owner of the house; however, they gradually eliminate all the inhabitants of the house, including the owner/inventor himself. One of the most popular films with both audience and jury was the Spanish film Porque hay cosas que nunca se olvidan (Because There are Things You Never Forget by Lucas Figueroy – 1st place IP). A group of four boys create a football goal on the wall of a house, inside of whose resonating walls is a little old lady knitting. When the ball lands in her garden, she brings it to them but then demonstratively punctures it with her knitting needles. The boys plan an act of revenge. Their plan is as refined as the well-scripted and directed film. The comic factor works superbly, but the audience mustn’t think about it too much. For this film critic, who is about the age of the old lady, it is difficult to accept vengeance in the form of an improvised electric chair for the mere loss of a ball. It has been over 3000 years since Moses (and even 500 years before him the Semite ruler Chammurabi) placed limitations on self-determined retribution maximally to the effect of “eye for eye” or “tooth for tooth”, however cruel even that may be. Let’s move away from ethics and get back to the film. From a dramaturgical point of view, the structure or chronology of the idea seems to be as complicated as the title, as the story is set in the 1950s. A retro period is more appealing than a current-day setting, and if it is to connote a kind of general wisdom, the following idea comes to mind: “When kicking the ball with an instep drive, don’t curl it too high!” This could be considerably more interesting, but less effective. A thematically much deeper work for me was the Belgian film Missing (by Matthieu Donck – 3rd place IP). It is about a tragicomic situation where for unknown reasons a person is reported missing and from that moment ceases to exist for his relatives, colleagues, the media, the police – and even for his wife, even though in reality he is still very present. This absurdly obvious situation, where everyone ignores his presence, is made even worse by the sarcastic approach and civil authenticity of the filming style, making the film very chilling. Now we are getting to the more serious films, which beneath their surface conceal a deeper theme, idea, or allegory, or which even without the support of a plot conjure up intensive associations and emotions (which for the purposes of the competition belong in an experimental category). From the ranks of the amateur section, there was the interesting “ecological” fable Barvy jara (The Colours of Spring) by Vladimir Franče and Alzheimerův labyrint (Alzheimer’s Labyrinth) by Tomáš Polenský. Among the awarded films, there are only three works of such a nature. The German film Aus der Seele (From the Soul by Holger Löwe – 1st place A) proves that the value and sincerity of our deeds, as in the interpretation of music in a given moment, cannot emerge from the dictates or directives of commissions or the thoughtless mechanistic nature of a metronome, but instead, they primarily emerge from a sensitive soul and a truthful heart. The Swedish film Valborg (by Sanna Lenken – honourable mention S) stands out for its excellent transformation of atmosphere. A young woman comes for an abortion to a strange hospital where all the doctors are leaving for “some kind of rehearsal” and she is forced to remain in the hands of the auxiliary staff. The increasingly horrific helplessness suddenly changes and, as if by magic, the girl finds herself standing with the Doctor’s Choir at the sacred Valborg bonfire night. Under the influence of the magic of the rite of spring ceremony, she decides to keep her baby. Slovak filmmaker Mariana Čengel-Solčanská was awarded a prize for concise expression in her mysteriously named short Majkomašmalon, which was reminiscent of the once world-acclaimed An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Robert Enrico. In just under 5 minutes of dynamic camerawork and quick montage, she tries to visualize the memories and emotions of a soldier about to be executed. Finally, just to remain faithful to my bad habits, I’ll mention some polemics with the jury. Although it did not win a prize, I really appreciated the Iranian film Boomrang (by Dairish Gharibzadeh – S), which was shot in precisely composed close-ups. On a seaside beach, we see a boy lying there with a fishing line attached to his foot. The relaxed atmosphere is enhanced with a turtle slowly emerging from the water. Suddenly the line goes taut, turning the turtle on its back, and a Hemingway-like episode ensues – a beautifully shot battle with the fish – the boy victorious. Finally, with his foot bloody, he turns the turtle right-side-up and with the fish dragging by the line behind him, he walks away from the camera’s view. It is not until this moment that we see that the boy has no arms! It made me think of the thousands of maimed children from the so-called “third world” who had their arms blown off by explosives or chopped off by invading soldiers to make them incapable of fighting. Luckily, the jury’s omission of giving a prize was rectified by the B16 Film Society jury (the above-mentioned organizers), which awarded the film the prestigious Petr Hvižd Prize. In regards to this message, I would like to mention that among the 40 or so participating countries, there were surprisingly few films that depicted truly sad themes or the cruelties of the world political situation. Another interesting film was the Israeli Kav Tefer (Dead End by Imri Matalon – S), with superb escalating suspense between two friends, one a Palestinian and the other an Israeli, traveling illegally by car to Jericho to attend a friend’s wedding. I also really appreciated another Iranian film, The White Mountains (by Taha Karimi – S). It is somewhat of a philosophizing portrait of an old man in the mountains who buries the dead of all three mutually warring sides, using stones and coloured ribbons on the graves to identify which side the person belonged to. He also delivers messages from the living and news of the dead to the neighbours and relatives in the villages. By far the best two films for me this year were the previously mentioned Auf der Strecke (On the Line) – which won the grand prize! – and the film Beklayis (The Waiting) – which did not win any prize! In this second film, Turkish independent director Emine Emel Balci silently ”tells” the story of his grandfather, who takes care of his immobile wife – he feeds her in the morning, turns on an old transistor radio for her, loads his donkey with grain and goes off to the mill to make flour. On the return journey, the donkey founders from overwork, the radio batteries run dry, the evening sky grows dim and the motionless old woman continues to wait. The synopsis in the catalogue (maybe written by the filmmaker?) reads “Waiting is painful silence”. In this case, the silence full of expectation contains not only pain; the paralyzed body contains a yearning soul that lives to the fullest. This film reminded me of Bresson. It is spiritual art that strives to capture something of this great “philosophical category of emptiness – mu”, evoking time that is not measured in the measurable time signals of the radio or through sunrises or sunsets, but in a time where the substantial happens – the act of really being. This is being that expands into the reason of the inaccessible transcendental sphere, but at the same time descends to the basics of life itself. Actually, not much happens in this film; nevertheless, the perceptive viewer will sense the intensive strength of real life and a real relationship. In fact, we have here the absolute core of the most simplified essence of human life: to provide “our daily bread” and to live with love. Josef Valušiak, Christmas 2008 Donašeč dobrých filmových zpráv 4/2008 The Messenger of Good Film News 4/2008 |
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| Jan Foll pro Film a doba 4/2008 | |||
A Mixed Bag of Competition Films at the Brno Sixteen The Brno Sixteen International Festival of Short Fiction Film, which took place 15 to 19 October 2008, once again presented a confrontation of diversity in theme, genre and artistic approach. The competition collection consisted of 83 works, most of which were student films. It was from this well-represented section that the international jury, chaired by Czech filmmaker Roman Vávra, selected the grand prize winner of the festival. Incident on the Train and Futuristic Prague The 30-minute long German-Swiss co-production Auf der Strecke (On the Line) by director Reto Caffi was one of the most impressive works presented here this year, and was awarded The Head Full of Films grand prize. Its main character, the loner Rolf, also the manager of security services of a large shopping centre, observes Sarah, a colleague working in the book department. One evening, he witnesses an incident on the commuter train: a gang of delinquent youth attack a ruffled outsider who had just been arguing with Sarah. As a result of the attack, the man dies. The next day Rolf finds out that the man was Sarah’s brother and is overcome with guilt for not stepping in at the critical moment. This impressively shot, convincingly acted and open-ended drama combines several themes. It deals with the budding friendship between two lonely people and at the same time our responsibility for the destinies of others. Its tense atmosphere is enhanced by shots using security cameras, with the help of which the protagonist keeps watch over his assigned area, but which also represent the ominous surveillance over people’s privacy. This world increasingly overcome by senseless violence affects the lives and souls of even those who are demure and tolerant. Another original idea about human identity came in the form of 18-minute long Czech sci-fi Jsem větší a lepší (I am Bigger and Better) by Martin Duda. The story begins at a theatre rehearsal where it becomes evident that the leading role of the play will be given to a robot. The remote control becomes a sore point for the human actor to be replaced (Ondřej Pavelka), who is jealous of his rival and criticizes its abilities. This “Bladerunner” inspired film climaxes in a railway corridor, where the four main characters meet (the robot, his “remote-controller”, the unappreciated actor and the desperate director) and the artificial being is seemingly wiped out by a passing express train. An epilogue in the futuristic train wagon reveals that David lives on and perhaps has managed to escape from the influence of his manipulators. This imaginative short, which won the gold medal in the student category, impresses with its excellent production values. There is a breath-taking scene where we see Prague for the first time as a futuristic metropolis: the camera scans the façade of the theatre, revealing an enormous hologram and soaring above. Other scenes full of tricks from the experts at UPP, include sci-fi cars floating above the Vltava River, glittering billboards, graffiti and other detailed technical accomplishments. The well-designed scenes do not seem artificial nor do they serve as the driving force of the film. Instead, this work is a successful miniature of some of the best American films of a similar genre. Shorts about Disastrous Selfishness There were also several noteworthy works in the independent professional section. The winner of this category was the Spanish black-comedy Porque hay cosas que nunca se olvidan (Because There are Things You Never Forget) with its impressive opening scene. The camera moves out from the interior of a prison and then soars high above and through the landscape. The story follows a complex act of vengeance of a group of boys who had their ball destroyed by a bitter old lady. This imaginative comedy, set in an Italian village in the 1950s, appealed to the jury for its filmic creativity. Second place in this category was taken by the Canadian comical satire Fillidor, which describes with exaggerated sarcasm the rivalry between two fictional intellectuals. Well-mannered Professor Fillidor is a proponent of synthesis and harmony, while his demonic adversary, Fillibert, professes the “undermining” concept of analysis, proving his theory through multifarious provocations. The absurd skirmishes of the egotistical academics climax in a shooting dual in which each shot is cruelly suffered by their respective partners. This black-and-white satire about the destructivity of intolerance had a serious message and expressed one of the shared motifs of the festival at large. Human egotism, as if it were the age-old foundation of interpersonal and global conflict, was also depicted in the Swiss satire Gehrig Kommt! (Here Comes Gehrig!), which was awarded one of two bronze medals. The story is set in a neat looking and comfortably furnished house which has its own atomic bomb shelter. According to a local administrative directive, the owner is supposed to share this shelter with his neighbour. His apprehension about the potential infiltration of this alien sets off a series of absurd events. Gradually the sterile technical contraptions take their victims: first, the family dog, then the mother-in-law, the wife (who ends up in the turbo garbage shredder) and finally, the protagonist himself. The other bronze medal went to the Belgian satire Der Verschollene (Missing), reminiscent of one of the stories in the famous Bunuel allegory The Phantom of Liberty. An older woman reports her husband “missing”, which stirs up a lot of publicity. However, he in fact is very present and hopelessly pleading for attention from all those in his hysterical environment. The Little Head Full of Films In the shadow of the student and professional independent films, there were also works from amateur filmmakers. The winning Austrian film Aus der Seele (From the Soul) was a poetic study on liberty. A young pianist is at first inhibited by the presence of an arrogant commission and the unrelenting ticking of a metronome. When the girl finally breaks free of these distracting elements, her talent finally shines through, although only to be appreciated by the random presence of the cleaning woman. Many films from this year’s festival attempted case-study depictions of broken souls and relationships. One of the more successful ones was another amateur film entitled Die Lügen (Lies), a micro-drama which won second place in its category. The story’s controversial antagonist is a clueless loser, trapped in a web of false illusions. The girlfriend who in reality left him seems to him to be begging for affection. He sees himself as a man of action, someone misunderstood by all those around him. Although most of the winning films were longer works, the jury did not overlook two impressive miniatures, awarding them with a prize for extremely short film. The first, a black comedy entitled Flashed, takes place at a photo-machine which transforms the unsuspecting customer into an old man through a rapid aging process. Using brevity brilliantly, the filmmaker explores the principles of cinematography and the relativity of time in a mere four minutes. The second of these winning shorts, the Slovak ballad Majkomašmalon, is based on the music motifs of Vladimír Godár and depicts the tragic story of a German soldier and a girl during the transport of Jews. As I mentioned at the beginning, the most numerous and most interesting section of this year’s Brno Sixteen was the student section. Its high quality was confirmed by several other films with serious themes and sure-footed production. This included the German psychodrama Dunkelrot (Dark Red), awarded with a silver medal. It tells the story of an aging couple, the sad consequences of Alzheimer’s disease and the magnanimous forgiving of sins from the distant past. There was an alarming political message underlying the story in the student film !Nada, Regla, Nada! (Swim, Regla! Swim!) about Cuba, for which the director was awarded a Special Prize for attending filmmakers (which carries a cash prize of 10,000 Czech crowns awarded by the Brno Cultural Centre). The protagonist is a woman who is denied a visa to the USA and decides to swim to Florida. Her risky attempt nearly ends in death on a Cuban beach and traps her in a vicious circle. The general impression from watching over eighty short films could be termed an inspirational mixed bag, which only rarely was tainted by pretentious affectation or pseudo-artistic ballast. Much more often the viewer is amazed by the filmic dexterity, narrative maturity and humour of the presented works. It isn’t important whether they were slapsticks, satires, psychodramas or horrors, or whether the stories were brutally realistic, fantastic or stylized. Inside of the Brno screening theatre, the viewer often feels like in a dream where unpredictable connections and forms mirror everyday traumas and hopes. In this respect, the excellent Mexican thriller Reality Show by Federico Schmucler was a case in point and received the top prize awarded by the student jury: The Little Head Full of Films. The antagonist of the film is watching a television screen which is showing a surveillance-camera view of his own life, but slightly in advance of real time and with tragic consequences. Jan Foll in Film a doba 4/2008 |
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   Auf der Strecke Coolness Dunkelrot |
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   Fillidor Flashed Missing |
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