The Creation of Meaning II
September: The Creation of Meaning II, FLMTQ Releases 258-262
During the month of September Filmatique presents The Creation of Meaning II, a series of documentary films focusing on the act of creation.
Italian filmmaker Beniamino Barrese's The Disappearance of My Mother attempts to capture the essence of a woman who would rather escape the camera's gaze, despite having built her legacy as a muse to visual artists. Pieter van Huystee's Hieronymus Bosch, Touched by the Devil and Andrey Paounov's Walking on Water both chronicle the politics and logistical nightmares behind ambitious art exhibitions—a retrospective of the fifteenth century painter, and an enormously complex installation on the surface of Italy's Lago d'Iseo. Two films trace the origins and legacies of legendary filmmakers in China and Senegal, respectively—Walter Salles's Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang is a delicate portrait of a director whose work remains relatively unknown in his own country, while Samba Gadjigo and Jason Silverman's Sembene! combs through hundreds of hours of exclusive footage to trace the life of a man considered by many to be the father of African cinema.
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The Disappearance of My Mother, Beniamino Barrese (2019)
The Disappearance of My Mother, Beniamino Barrese / Italy, 2019
Benedetta Barzini was an iconic fashion model in the 1960s, a muse to Andy Warhol, Richard Avedon, Dalí. In the 70s, as a a radical feminist, she leveraged her visbility to guarantee women's emancipation. But now, at the tender age of 75, she just wants to disappear. She longs to live a life of seclusion, far from the camera's gaze—only her son Beniamino is intent on documenting her final act.
Tracing the combative relationship between a mother and son, a woman and her legacy, The Disappearance of My Mother is a beguiling meditation on the nature of images. Beniamino Barrese's first documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, CPH:DOX, BFI London, and Palm Springs.
Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang, Walter Salles (2014)
Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang, Walter Salles / Brazil-France, 2014
Jia Zhangke is one of China's greatest living directors. His friend, the Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles, accompanies Zhangke throughout China—together, they visit Zhangke's hometown as well as several set locations from his ever-expanding body of work. A curious cast of characters emerges—friends, family members, colleagues—all sharing memories and anecdotes from a shared past.
From the director of The Motorcycle Diaries and On the Road, Walter Salles's documentary traverses personal, political, and artistic landscapes, weaving an intimate portrait of the award-winning filmmaker. Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang premiered at the Berlin International Film Festiavl, San Sebastián, BFI London, the New York Film Festival, and Vienna.
Hieronymus Bosch, Touched by the Devil, Pieter van Huystee (2015)
Hieronymus Bosch, Touched by the Devil, Pieter van Huystee / Netherlands, 2015
The late-medieval artist Hieronymus Bosch died nearly 500 years ago. Yet his art remains a subject of fascainted study—in 2016, a special exhibition of his work was held at the Noordbrabants Museum in the Dutch city of Den Bosch, where Bosch lived his entire life. Leading up to the exhibit, a team of art historians attempt to scrutinize Bosch's works in search of hidden meanings, traveling between the Netherlands, Venice, and Madrid, where they must contend with museum administrators and curators with their own agendas.
Hieronymus Bosch, Touched by the Devil is a fascinating dive into the life and work of the highly controversial fifteenth century painter. Prolific producer Pieter van Huystee's first documentary as a director premiered at Moscow, Sydney, and IDFA - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
Sembene!, Samba Gadjigo & Jason Silverman (2015)
Sembene!, Samba Gadjigo & Jason Silverman / Senegal-USA, 2015
Ousmane Sembene grew up in Senegal, dropping out of school in the fifth grade and spending many years as a dockworker. Yet he harbored an impossible dream—to transform his continent through storytelling, by returning African stories to Africans. Sembene's colleague and biographer Samba Gadjigo recounts the incredibly true story of a man who overcame incredible odds to become a fearless advocate for the marginalized.
Compiled from rare archival footage and hours of exclusive footage, Sembene! chronicles the life and work of the legendary Senegalese film director, considered by many to be the father of African cinema. Samba Gadjigo and Jason Silverman's documentary premiered at Sundance, Cannes, Black Film Festival Montreal, and Luxor African Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize.
Walking on Water, Andrey Paounov (2018)