Films of the Sea: 2

Date: 12 November 2010 | Season: Films of the Sea

FILMS OF THE SEA: 2
Friday 12 November 2010, at 8pm
Naples Fondazione Morra

In all of the arts, the ocean has been a constant source of inspiration, from Hokusai to JMW Turner, or from ‘Moby Dick’ to ‘Titanic’. As an emblem of endless possibilities, it might lead to discovery or tragedy, new lives or lives lost. These seven films are ‘of the sea’ in that they draw inspiration from it, but they are far from straightforward depictions. Peter Hutton, a former merchant seaman, has made many films of ships and seascapes. His most recent and most celebrated is At Sea, which traces the life cycle of massive container ships. David Gatten made his abstract film without a camera, by submerging unexposed lengths of film in the ocean. The second programme seeks out narrative through tall tales and maritime folklore. Slipping between dreams and reality, it includes the surreal (Maya Deren), the erotic (Matthias Müller) and childhood fantasy (Janie Geiser). Mati Diop follows a stowaway from Africa to Europe, and Rebecca Meyers explores the perils of seafaring off the American coast. “What the sea wants, the sea will have.”

Maya Deren, At Land, USA, 1944, 14 min
Matthias Müller, Sleepy Haven, Germany, 1993, 14 min
Janie Geiser, Kindless Villain, USA, 2010, 4 min
Mati Diop, Atlantiques, France/Senegal, 2009, 15 min
Rebecca Meyers, Blue Mantle, USA, 2010, 35 min

Curated by Mark Webber for the Independent Film Show 10th Edition

PROGRAMME NOTES