williamaveryhudson

Zum Vergleich / By Comparison (Harun Farocki, Germany/Austria) (World Premiere)
Monday, February 9
Read the Forum Synopsis

Where else but the Berlinale Forum could I find a movie that teaches everything there is to know about brickmaking from Gando, Burkina Faso to Fläsch, Switzerland? An exaggeration, of course - we cannot know what it is like to work in a brick factory unless we do it.

But this triumph of cinéma vérité brings us close to the most basic of building materials, and how people construct them in Africa, Asia, and Europe. We also see how people have progressed from highly social, pre-industrial methods of producing bricks to isolated, high-tech modes that humans monitor in silence. And perhaps breaking the cycle to enter new modes of sustainable manufacture.

In Gando, bricks are made by hand from earth watered at the site of construction. The community comes out to observe and converse. Men, women, and children participate and the work seems joyful. In Fläsch, a sense of joy seems to be recaptured as a robot translates an artist’s image onto a brick wall. In between, we see various degrees of exploitation of human and machine labor, and perhaps even learn something new about women and men at work. And in the process, clinics, schools, and homes are built. All in one hour!

Posts for peace, sound environmental stewardship, humane economic policy and promotion of human health and creativity. About the blogger.

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Generasi biru / The Blue Generation (Garin Nugroho, John De Rantau, Dosy Omar, Indonesia) (World Premiere, special screening)
Saturday, February 6
Read the Forum synopsis

A fascinating document of the Indonesian Revolution of 1998 and the fall of Suharto, told through a music video/agitprop documentary focusing on the phenomenon Slank. This band has been on the forefront of Indonesian pop culture for 25 years, and from a platform of sentimental pop has raised national consciousness on the social evils of government-sponsored kidnapping, torture and corruption.

With a butterfly logo and a slogan of “Peace, Love, Unity, Respect”, Slank promotes romance and rebellion, opposition to global consumerism, and a return to a peaceful life rooted in indigenous culture.

The film blends concert footage, performance art and multiple forms of animation in a unique form of communication that may or may not play well with western audiences. But for a couple of hours in Berlin, one room may have approached an experience of Indonesia.

I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it.

Visit the film website.

Posts for peace, sound environmental stewardship, humane economic policy and promotion of human health and creativity. About the blogger.

Technorati tags:
film festivals berlin film festival

Comments and Links Appreciated!