3 March 2015: A wonderful performance of Louis Van Gasteren's experimental film Out of My Skull that he shot at the Carpenter Centre of Harvard University in 1965. In 1966 Out of My Skull was performed in the Stedelijk Museum. The screening in EYE in the presence of Louis van Gasteren, introduced and interviewed by Patricia Pisters. Followed by a rare screening of Conrad Rooks Chappaqua.
Under the Skin by Jonathan Glazer (2013). Unlike anything else. Eerie and fascinating combination of images ranging from documentary to experimental. Scarlett Johansson is amazing. Absolute great and haunting film.
The 27th Edition of IDFA presents an extremely interesting selection of films made all over the world that are all more than worthwhile seeing. Here's another brilliant film: The Salt of the Earth (2014) by Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado. Produced by David Rosier for Deciafilms. About the stories behind the photographies of Sebastiao Salgado. And about much more, indeed. The trailer of the film can be seen here. See the Variety review here. See also Wim Wender's site. And for the incredible and inspiring Instituto Terra there is this website to visit. There is hope for the planet.
After Darwin's Nightmare another overwhelming film by Hubert Sauper, screened at IDFA. Sauper and his team are like modern Don Quichots, parachuting themselves in the most mad environments. Devastating repetitions (with only small differences) of colonial history.
From the website: We Come as Friends is a modern odyssey, a dizzying, science fiction-like journey into the heart of Africa. At the moment when the Sudan, the continent’s biggest country, is being divided into two nations, an old ‘civilizing’ pathology re-emerges - that of colonialism, clash of empires, and yet new episodes of bloody (and holy) wars Sauper takes us on this voyage in his tiny, self-made flying machine out of tin and canvas, he leads us into most improbable locations and into people’s thoughts and dreams, in both stunning and heartbreaking ways. Chinese oil workers, UN peacekeepers, Sudanese warlords, and American evangelists ironically weave common ground in this documentary.
Around the world in 50 concerts, Heddy Honigmann's deeply beautiful film about the Royal Concert Orchestra opened IDFA 2015. Many more documetaries at the 27th edition of the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam