A disappointment

It has been a while, in fact, too long, since last I posted something on the topic of literature up here. There are many reasons for this holdup, all of them very complicated, unpardonable and nothing but excuses. So, no more on that; it’s a past. Earlier this month, I attended a reading of young Thai-American writer Rattawut Lacharoensap at our Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin. I had first encountered him and his work two years ago at exactly the same venue and had been quite intrigued by his refreshing debut collection of short stories, “Sightseeing” (review here). Naturally, I was excited to see what he’s up to next. And he was really courageous, I must say, for reading from a manuscript in the making, his long-awaited fist novel “End of Siam”, slated for publication around May of next year. That I found impressing.

But then, the reading as such, my first impression of the text, those opening passages that are meant to get us into the body of the entire thing – frankly, I couldn’t help but be disappointed by what I heard. Of course, the man himself was charming as ever, spirited, and he seemed at ease with his temporary hometown of Berlin. But as far as having a literary appointment with a new talent goes, my expectations weren’t met. Apparently, the book is about the male protagonist’s childhood years and adolescence followed over the course of some 20 years and it starts out in a Thai village setting and a fitting domestic account. There are some memorable scenes that tell of the boy’s intimate relationship with his (single) mother. I thought most of the descriptions well-done, but unrefined, without much resonance and stale. The pace was TV-ish and the narrator’s point of view omniscient, which doesn’t have to be consistently so (for that I would have to have read the whole novel, obviously), and the approach is not technically invalid per se. But there were some characterizations and internal commentary that are just too explicit, leaving no space for the reader to make up their own minds; to me, this is a typical shortcoming in many young story-tellers of whatever medium, and when there is too little artistic distance to the subject matter.

In any case, this can be nothing more but a first-first and no final judgment. I might still want to read the work in full when it comes out. All I can say at this point is that I’m – disappointed, a bit. And that may as well be my own mistake in part, for – as I said – those expectations? They were mine to begin with!

(pic©aaww.org)

quote of the week

“Rat stories, true and made up. World-relation attitude irruption: grain ships gnawed bare. Hollowed-out granaries. The Nothing acknowledged. Egypt's lean years. And when Paris was besieged. And when the rat sat in the tabernacle. And when thought forsook meta-physics. And when help was most needed. And when the rats left the ship. And when the rats came back. When they attacked even infants and old people riveted to their chairs. When they negated the new-born babe away from the young mother's breast. When they attacked the cats and nothing was left of the rat-terriers but bare teeth, which sparkle to this day, lined up in the museum.”
(Günter Grass, Dog Years (1963))

quote of the week

“I'm pursued myself like a hundred devils, and shall be overtaken before I can well change horses: – for heaven's sake, make haste – 'Tis for high treason, quoth a very little man, whispering as low as he could to a very tall man that stood next to him – Or else for murder; quoth the tall man – Well thrown size-ace! quoth I. No; quoth a third, the gentleman has been committing – –.”
(Lawrence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1767))

“the torch” #42 – In the crux: short films - what is the art in being short?

For some young filmmakers and aspiring directors a short film is but a showcasing vehicle to prove themselves to the outside world and possible investors. The format serves as a platform to perform a visual stunt or two, and all effort is directed at maximizing the self-promotion effect attesting to advanced professionalism, or so. For some, though, making short films is an art form and a vocation. The genre in itself can be fulfilling and there are numerous examples (some of them coming out of Singapore in recent years) that unless being taken seriously for what it is, a short film will be nothing but an exercise in vanity: hollow, and amounting to little more than an overlong trailer to a would-be movie at best. But there are rules to obey, the intrinsic markers of quality in this particular kind of motion pictures, and all the good genes they might carry have one prime information inscribed in them: be short! What this means in practical terms and how originality in a short is defined by the ability to meet the criterion – you can read it up: here.

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quote of the week

“To be a man's own fool is bad enough; but the vain man is every body's. This silly disposition comes of a mixture of ignorance, confidence and pride; and as there is more or less of the last, so it is more or less offensive, or entertaining. And yet, perhaps the worst part of this vanity is its unteachableness. Tell it any thing, and it has known it long ago; and outruns information and instruction, or else proudly puffs at it. Whereas the greatest understandings doubt most, are readiest to learn, and least pleased with themselves; this, with nobody else.”
(William Penn, Fruits of Solitude in Reflections and Maxims Relating to the Conduct of Human Life (1837))

quote of the week

“Language as the material and medium of expression can never fully emancipate itself from meaning. A genuinely nonobjective poetry would simply be gibberish.”
(Hans-Georg Gadamer, The Relevance of the Beautiful and Other Essays (1977))

“the torch” #41 – Visualize – Customize – Iconize?

The question is on and can no longer be avoided: Can that conflict between substance and surface in our digital age finally be resolved, if not all form is empty to begin with? To copy to produce and in turn have it copied again by somebody else (or even oneself for that matter) – the endless cycle of self-consumption and self-repetition is a topic that has been addressed many times before. It comes with various deep and difficult implications and provides ample incentives for debates profound or shallow, just as it makes for sleepless nights among that precariously idiosyncratic breed of artists, and some filmmakers among them. But does it really have to be that way? What exactly is telling in a picture? Where does that quality stem from, and how can it be meaningfully defined? Isn’t there a lot of usable substance in the stereotype, the cliché, as well? And, lastly, what is the common ground of our (post)modern world – its view and representation – anyway? “The Torch” features these burning questions: here.

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quote of the week

“Where there is kindness, there is also cruelty.”
(12 Lotus, Royston Tan (2008))

quote of the week

“Here I am in your face | Tellin' truths and not your old lies | Seems to me that you care | And I know that you're runnin' otta time | See ya can't get away | I'll be here forever and again | Whisperin' in your ear | Do believe 'cause you know you cannot win | Spent most your life pretending not to be | The one your are but who you choose to see | Learned to survive in your fictitious world | Does what they think of you determine your worth | If special's what you feel when you're with them | Taken away, you feel less then again”
(Janet Jackson et alt., The Velvet Rope (1997))

“the torch” #40 – Your film's emotional balance sheet

If indeed Oscar Wilde was right in saying that it is only shallow people who can’t let go of a feeling, then, probably, our films’ tendency to elaborate on emotions should equally be discarded as sentimental bravery? While I’m not so sure about the former of these two statements, I can, however, agree with the notion that more often than not, less would have been substantially better in much of what we see come to our silver screens as supposed filmic renditions of our life reality. Undoubtedly, there are limits to what refinement and level of subtlety works in a movie and where it begins to be just cryptic, dim, or outright pretentious. So, film at times needs to paint in bolder strokes in order to bring its story across as colourful and vivid as we like it; even in its darker tones. But when it comes to consolidating your draft with strong effects, “The Torch” (here) argues that it is a task of striking the right balance, first and foremost.

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quote of the week

“[...] for how long can it last, this overextended violation of reality?”
(Thomas R. Pynchon, Against The Day (2006))

quote of the week

“Look at me. You won't be rewarded for your kindness. I am a good example. This is reality. Poverty begets evil. That's the rule of the game.”
(Xiang Gang zhi zao/Made in Hong Kong, Fruit Chan (1997))

“the torch” #39 – Bonus material on your DVD - does it add up?

Really, how versatile is that disc you just bought? A legitimate question, for sure, and one that has every content shopper scrupulously studying the back cover of whatever DVD they think about purchasing – if they are smart enough to consider before leaving their cash to the counter. The flipside to our products’ packaging is a selling point, whichever way you look at it. And to investigate as to what we want – and what we get – as consumers of films, is worthy of taking a moment to deliberate on. No battle over formats sees the movie-lover as winner, unless there is bonus material included to match expectations. The option is on the table for any producer and designer to make their costumers happy – if only they bothered to care about demand; which should be in their own best interest, should it not? Let’s compile a list, then, of what makes for real added value in a hard copy release, so that next time we will truly enrich ourselves (and not just the shops and companies) when buying another item for our private film library. First attempt you will find: here.

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quote of the week

“[...] all else is true in the article, except those things that are not.”
(AAWW newsletter (2007))

quote of the week

“I should very much like, then, to share this all so sudden metamorphosis of mine with you. Doing so would make me start to feel a surer faith in the friendship that exists between us, that true friendship which not hope nor fear nor concern for personal advantage ever sunders, that friendship in which and for which people are ready to die. I can give you plenty of examples of people who have not been lacking a friend but friendship, something that can never happen when mutual inclination draws two personalities together in a fellowship of desire for all that is honourable. Why cannot it happen? Because they know that everything – and especially their setbacks – is shared between them.”
(Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Epistulae morales at Lucilium (64))

“the torch” #38 – in the crux: location scouting

The Here and Now is ideally located between the Then and There and all that which it is impossible to foretell: our forever elusive future, wherever it may lead us. On this we have common ground, and an acute awareness – as well as an existential need – to reassure ourselves of who (and where) we are by relating the stories of our individual pasts and weave them into one large and sweeping fabric of togetherness and human belonging. To this end we apply all kinds of expression to forge a narrative that has the coherence (and resiliency) to support. As history manifests itself in our minds and finds itself often attached to objects or places we hold dear or dread, every filmmaker is confronted with the task of identifying the one and only perfect setting for their movie. “The Torch” in this week’s edition probes into the choices and options, their various deep implications, in the matter of scouting for the right location and handling of place in a motion picture coming to life. You find it: here.

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quote of the week

“The spirit is always attacking.”
(The Hidden Blade, Yamada Yoji (2004))

quote of the week

“Stand a little less between me and the sun.”
(Diogenes (412 BC - 323 BC))

“the torch” #37 – A cinephile’s truism: film conquers reality

The Spanish without doubt are among the most accomplished when it comes to all kinds of conquering. From “La Reconquista” to “La Convivencia”, those Conquistadores apparently knew what they were doing and profited greatly, even winning almost an entire new continent for themselves and their King (temporarily at least). If reality was to gradually become a colony to our fantasy and secret wishes – maybe that is what is happening right now? “The Torch” this week maintains that a cultural acquaintance doesn’t always have to end in the dispossession of the other. But, if not of triumph, what are we talking about here? That films should have it in them to implant attention-grabbing details in our heads and with guerrilla-like persistence to penetrate our imagination, this is undeniably true. What power does the medium hold over reality, then, one might come to ask. This truism is put to the test right: here.

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quote of the week

“Many are the tales that are told. We are assured that novel methods will be adopted, and when we see the originality of malice, the ingenuity of aggression, which our enemy displays, we may certainly prepare ourselves for every kind of novel stratagem and every kind of brutal and treacherous maneuver. I think that no idea is so outlandish that it should not be considered and viewed with a searching, but at the same time, I hope, with a steady eye.[...] Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender[...]”
(Sir Winston Churchhill, House of Commons address (1940))

quote of the week

The river's tent is broken: the last fingers of leaf
Clutch and sink into the wet bank. The wind
Crosses the brown land, unheard. The nymphs are departed.
Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song.
The river bears no empty bottles, sandwich papers,
Silk handkerchiefs, cardboard boxes, cigarette ends
Or other testimony of summer nights. The nymphs are departed.
And their friends, the loitering heirs of city directors;
Departed, have left no addresses.
By the waters of Leman I sat down and wept...
Sweet Thames, run softly till I end my song,
Sweet Thames, run softly, for I speak not load or long.
But at my back in a cold blast I hear
The rattle of the bones, and chuckle spread from ear to ear.

(T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land (1922))

“the torch” #36 – High trash

Be funny or die trying – well, that’s a way to put it. Whether you think it particularly tasteful is another matter, but one probably worth looking into. The humorous adventure of serving something which is not quite in line with common taste and liking – in film, it must be handled with good care and graciousness if it is not to spoil everything and make a movie lose all audience support. Where tackiness is concerned, we do have our very distinct and personally defined limits, each and every one of us, that would tell at which point fun is ending and a nuisance begins (or vice versa). Not to overstep this border, or if so, to do it discerningly and as just a minor offence which is entertaining because it is tolerable, that’s the task precisely and needs to be negotiated every time anew. “The Torch” addresses this issue of (im)moderation in generating the right effects: here.

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2 masters now on record

In proto-ymagon’s ongoing effort to promote quality in filmmaking, I would like to bring the following to your attention: Two of the all-time best short films to come out of Singapore have now been newly added on IMDb.com.

Locust by Victric Thng (2003)



After The Rain by Royston Tan (2007)



Do check out the entries for yourself (links provided above) and give it your vote, everybody!

(pics©purrfectnine; Zhao Wei Films)

quote of the week

“The mildness of Marcus, which the rigid discipline of the Stoics was unable to eradicate, formed, at the same time, the most amiable, and the only defective, part of his character. His excellent understanding was often deceived by the unsuspecting goodness of his heart. Artful men, who study the passions of princes, and conceal their own, approached his person in the disguise of philosophic sanctity, and acquired riches and honours by affecting to despise them.”
(Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1781))

quote of the week

“There are a number of different religions in Utopia. Indeed, each city contains adherents of different faiths. Some worship the sun as their god, others the moon, and others one of the planets. Some Utopians believe that a certain human being, who was remarkable, long ago, either for his virtue or for his vanity, was not only a god, but the supreme god. But a substantial majority of Utopians, including nearly all the wiser citizens, believe in none of these religions.”
(Saint/Sir Thomas More, Utopia (1516))

“the torch” #35 – in the crux: Acting - what role does the actor play?

To identify and empathize – these are two of the most fundamental capacities and distinguishing us as human beings as to set us apart from the animal world. What the arts can provide us with, in the best of cases, is a deepened insight and heightened awareness of our shared condition and nature, by giving a representation that we can relate to – if the part is convincing. And this too often proves to be the crucial point and Achilles’ heel in much of what we can observe in the contemporary film landscape: the acting. What is being neglected, or wherein exactly do we need a renewal of effort to improve the record on this count to successfully enhance the performance of our movies and to make the cinematic real have an impact again? The actor nowadays, in a world of constant and all-inclusive display of self-re-enactment (the simulacrum-dilemma of modern times you might call it), appears more challenged than ever and therefore must get back to the very basics of their craft. Such is the appeal made by “The Torch” this week, here.

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quote of the week

“And so it was not the nasty thorn of jealousy that pricked his soul in this case. But he did explore all the feelings that intoxication and passion can explore once they catch a glimpse of themselves in the world outside, feelings that are the strangest mixture of disgust and shared emotions. If we are to get on with our story, however, it will be impossible to fathom and analyze all of that.”
(Thomas Mann, Der Zauberberg/The Magic Mountain (1924))

AHSB 2009 – now open for entries!

For all of you who may or may not have been waiting these past weeks for this call for entries to come forward, let me now officially inform you that ASIAN HOT SHOTS BERLIN film festival 2009 will be running January 13-18 next year and is from today on ready to accept your entries of films (short or feature concluded in 2007 or 2008) of any genre for its 2^nd edition programming!
Don’t wait any longer to check out all the details and regulations on the webby here – then make your submission! And do remember: Berlin is always worth the visit. Audience is made up of real movie-lovers and sophisticated by nature, so to connect here and get a good feedback might serve you better than a million other festivals combined. Wanna contest and compete? Well, go ahead and bring your movie, you’re welcome!

(pic©green chilies e.V.)

quote of the week

“Every moment wasted looking back keeps us from moving forward!”
(Hillary Clinton (June 7, 2008))

(pic©AP)

“the torch” #34 – Mainstreaming: On bringing your film in line with the system

To go with the mainstream is but one option for successfully launching (or maintaining) your career into filmmaking – if only too mundane for some to keep them from pursuing their alleged higher calling. The separation on closer observation soon enough will emerge as somewhat artificial and self-serving when in fact the so-called “artsy-fartsy” and what’s being labelled as “commercial” oftentimes are considerably less than worlds apart. For even the main stream of things has its branches and inlets to sport some sweet indulgence from time to time, that anyone so inclined can take their time and brain space off and foster their creativity forever fresh and anew.
The legend whereby film industry and art-house film are mutually exclusive – I want it thrown right out the window once and for all. Let this counterproductive myth rot on the garbage dump of history where it belongs and let real innovation make sense out of entertainment. Do you agree or not? You will find the main thesis: here.

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quote of the week

“If you never say good-bye to the best things in your life | There are things you don't appreciate at all | So it's best that you don't try holding back the time | Are you ever gonna be quite satisfied?”
(Lighthouse Family/Paul Tucker, Postcards From Heaven (1997))

my list of things I'm lacking*

1. time
2. money
   
3. patience
4. trust
   
5. sleep
6. discipline
7. focus
8. support
9. humility
10. genius
    

* just noticed list is in fact equally valid if in reverse

quote of the week

“A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.”
(sexist truism, timeless)

“the torch” #33 – Idealism in film: or how to generate a visual message

Images arguably hold an immense telling power, they can move us to tears or to action, in some cases achieve both without preaching. What is it about film that invests it with such might, and in our times more than ever before? Is it that we as viewers are just too willing, too much in need of purpose and explanation that we can’t resist but read so much into them? Or does the bottom line message so purposefully visualized effectually come across and give us something we didn’t have on our own up until taking the seat and watching? The give-and-take equation – is it an equilibrium or a one-sided outpouring, influx and consumption of ideas only? And how does it work anyway, idealism in film that is gripping, vehemently entertaining even, but not lofty? Take a look and read up on “The Torch”: here.

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quote of the week

“Among the Romans love potions were generally held to be dangerous things. Ovid, for instance, warns the suitor to avoid them. They will not make a girl mad with passion but simply mad. There seems to have been a certain reluctance to disclose what went into these brews but if what Theocritus details in his second Idyll can be trusted then one might conclude that the victim was more likely to throw up than freak out.”
(Arthur Keaveney, Lucullus: A Life (1992))

quote of the week

"He is too serious, he knows that, too willing to believe - and deaf to the comedy of mismatched couples and unseemly flesh. To comfort himself, he imagines the separate layers of his brain: there are spaces there, cavities that exist between the forces of sex and work. What is he to do with these fixed voids? Other people know. He's never known."
(Carol Shields, The Stone Diaries (1993))

“the torch” #32 – in the crux: sounds and scores

Music being probably the first art form ever practiced by mankind, and music being also the most mysteriously assertive expression of life (for it is well established how it works its wonders not just on us human beings alone), it is only reasonable to investigate its role in film. The acoustic layer of our perceiving a movie has been an issue from the earliest days, and the silent era certainly no exception. Whether it is meant to accompany a picture or to speak its own voice, music has the power to enlarge what and whomever it touches upon. Accordingly, any filmmaker has to be aware of the manifold implications that come with utilizing a score to enhance the visual performance, and to explore what further potential for innovation of the craft this may hold in store. If you want to follow up on the ongoing discussion about what a film should sound like, or join in yourself – you’re most welcome: here.

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quote of the week

“At the Forty-second Street station they stopped a minute on the bridge that crosses the track to the branch road for the Central Depot, and looked up and down the long stretch of the elevated to north and south. The track that found and lost itself a thousand times in the flare and tremor of the innumerable lights: the moony sheen of the electrics mixing with the reddish points and blots of gas far and near; the architectural shapes of houses and churches and towers, rescued by the obscurity from all that was ignoble in them: and the coming and going of the trains marking the stations with vivider or fainter plumes of flame-shot steam – formed an incomparable perspective. They often talked afterward of the superb spectacle, which in a city full of painters nightly works its unrecorded miracles[...]; but for the present they were mostly inarticulate before it.”
(William Dean Howells, A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890))

quote of the week

“Die Welt is meine private Angelegenheit.” / “The world is my private affair.”
(Alice Schwarzer (2008))

“the torch” #31 - Death or Humour?

All the world is a stage – and death no joker! (But in film, a good joke can be a killer.) To keep us entertained with their movies, a filmmaker has to bear in mind the first principle whereby excess is not advisable, but moderation is: healthy and safe. While the latter is arguably true, the conviction that a taste for health is what gets us into those seats sounds considerably less convincing; how much appeal insanity has in store is the very formula each thriller of whatever genre tries to calculate anew – and results should differ. An extension of this line of thinking would have to ask where exactly the aimed for emotive value can be found in balancing the distribution of film’s strongest assets (narrative devices both): death and humour. Whether to factor out, or in, and to what degree, this is the calibrating task between fun and credibility you absolutely have to get right with your audience if you want your film to do well and connect.
Interested in finding out more about what we want from our movies? Get “The Torch”: here.

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

“Life is all about good-byes.”
(Sukiyaki Western Django, Miike Takashi (2007))

quote of the week

“'You'd better hurry home,' Naeko said when she noticed the bits of white particles. You could not call it snow. Sleet perhaps – but the white particles vanished and reappeared.
The valley, dark for the time of day, suddenly turned chill.”
(Kawabata Yasunari, The Old Capital (1962))

“the torch” #30 – in the crux: literary adaptation

When words and images collide – there are most certainly going to be all losers in that game. To write for film, or to film after writing – is it merely a priority issue and your classic master-slave situation calling for good guidance and decisive action? Or is there a real conflict at play, more challenging and possibly less likely to be swiftly resolved by good will alone? This week’s edition of “The Torch” makes it an unambiguous case for the latter notion, and arguing that without the right amount of mutual respect for the art form of literal or visual representation respectively, there can be no coming-together in any way convincing and fruitful. If “know thy neighbour” be a rightful command with some grounding in past experience (learning from mistakes, that is), then the crafting of a good literary adaptation of a deserving text affords both sides involved to heed the rules of each profession alike and honour their differences. For what is incongruous by nature can only be overcome by real creativity, never force. Your point is: here.

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

“I tried to invent new flowers, new stars, new flesh, new tongues. I thought I was acquiring supernatural powers. Well! I must bury my imagination and my memories! An artist's and story-teller's precious flame flung away! I! I who called myself angel or seer, exempt from all morality, I am returned to the soil with a duty to seek and rough reality to embrace! Peasant! Am I mistaken? Would charity be the sister of death for me? And last, I shall ask forgiveness for having fed on lies. And now let's go.”
(Arthur Rimbaud, A Season In Hell (1873))

quote of the week

“Doubtless, he had to steel himself to do it, for he had a tender heart; but he was more of a pleasure-seeker than a lover and he had easily persuaded himself that duty itself demanded harshness.”
(André Gide, The Counterfeiters: A Novel (1925))

“the torch” #29 – Your Berlinale blueprint

‘Size does matter’ – we all know about this truism’s worth, one way or another, and have learnt how to live with it. In terms of publicizing and creating a buzz about a product to raise the level of public awareness, possibly turnover and revenue, film marketing has to go by the rules like any other business. But then again, we are talking about an art form as well, and it is in this respect that more important factors than only short term success need to be taken into consideration when promoting a movie that also aspires to be taken seriously as an act of self-expression. The festivals around the globe, self-serving as they are, provide of course the necessary platform to do just that, and when it comes to the Berlin International Film Festival (aka Berlinale), arguably one of the industry’s top events on the calendar each year, prestige, recognition, appreciation, exposure, business and a bit of calculation too, all together they form that special cocktail which has aspiring people from all over the world flock to the city with great expectations. And what presumptions exactly can tell a marvellous little lie or simple line of wisdom – at times you don’t even have to wait until the lights come down and the projection starts to figure this out. For vanity is a strategist who will not be surprised – and thus, to get yourself prepared, visit this week’s edition of “The Torch”: here.

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

“I've been betrayed by circumstances!”
(Sôseiji/Gemini, Tsukamoto Shinya (1999))

quote of the week

“- 'What is a cynic?' - 'A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.'”
(Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan (1892))

“the torch” #28 – in the crux: Trailers

These days there is an art to almost everything, it seems, the “art” of investing, of housekeeping, scheduling, or even relaxing. How about wrapping, then? This argument can be stretched, of course, indefinitely if need be, but what is being addressed is the issue of marketing and, to be more specific, the question of packaging and advertising a film – most pointedly by way of a striking preview to launch a substantial theatrical release. Japanese culture is known to hold some rather eclectic views about refinement in marginalia or aspects of life elsewhere perceived too common or obscure, and the opening scene in Matthew Barney’s “Drawing Restraint 9” might provide a clue to just what such visual origami could be: your meticulously crafted trailer.
All art eventually will attest to the degree of skill that brought it forth and so to match appearance with a substance matter is as well an ethical task, betraying honesty. Be careful, then, what you sell your film by (and for) – argues: “The Torch”.

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

Aug', mein Aug', was sinkst du nieder?
Goldne Träume, kommt ihr wieder?
Weg, du Traum! so gold du bist;
Hier auch Lieb' und Leben ist.

Eyes, why downcast now? What shining
Dreams return, what repining?
Golden dream, I break your spell!
Here is love and life as well.

(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, On The Lake (1775))

quote of the week

“I say even if all these remarks are correct in themselves, the manner in which he brings them forth shows that his understanding is clouded by simplemindedness and presumption. The commentators tell us: the correct understanding of a matter and misunderstanding the matter are not mutually exclusive.”
(Franz Kafka, The Trial (1925))

“the torch” #27 – In search of the perfect film – or audience?

This column by definition raises many a burning question and customarily tries to undermine some of the best-held beliefs in our developing filmmaking community, but no other issue, perhaps, has had a more crucial point to make, none has put more at risk than this one. Obviously, learning is essential and it is always the acquired skill that empowers the filmmaker to shape a vision and affect people in their lives and dreams by their very profession; and this is a long and winding, in fact, an unending road to travel with much patience. But education is no substitute for talent or inspiration. To stick with the rules as recorded in the books, your invaluable art instruction – it's not a choice, if only for him who already masters the craft. That’s because every game needs to be played according to the rules, or else it just amounts to brutish wilfulness but will never be fair – and yet, it is equally true that the play is the most basic principle in nature variation coming to life.
Stakes are high for we are talking about perfection and nothing less, so do position yourself: here.

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

“Nouns name the world. Verbs activate the names. Adjectives come from somewhere else.”
(Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red (1998))

Go SIFF!

Guess what spring brings: the 21^st edition of Singapore International Film Festival will serve us yet another careful selection of some of the best in contemporary Asian and World cinema. Running from April 4 to 14 this year, this well established launching pad for many a filmmaker from Singapore has actually added a whole new section, Singapore Panorama, to its programming scheme, and a new venue, Sinema Old School, as well. So we are in for a number of surprises, I bet, and this being said, there should be no more doubt left with anyone as to where everybody will come together shortly, right?!
For details, go visit their official website: here.

(pic©Singapore International Film Festival 2008)

quote of the week

“Creation comes when you learn to say no.”
(Madonna, The Power of Good-bye (1998))

my list of 58th Berlinale best films

1. Bam gua nat/Night and Day (Hong Sang-soo, South Korea (2008))
2. RGB XYZ (David O'Reilly, Ireland (2008)) [short]
3. Invisible City (Tan Pin Pin, Singapore (2007))
4. Udedh Bun (Siddarth Sinha, India (2008)) [short]
5. Kabei/Our Mother (Yamada Yoji, Japan (2008))
6. Mompelaar/Mumbler (Wim Reygaert/Marc Roels, Belgium (2007)) [short]
7. Yasukuni (Ying Li, China/Japan (2007))
8. Haze (Anthony Chen, Singapore (2008)) [short]
9. Tout est parfait/Everything Is Fine (Yves Christian Fournier, Canada (2008))
10. Frankie (Darren Thornton, Ireland (2007)) [short]

“the torch“ #26 – Reflections on “4:30” by Royston Tan

How do you describe, how do you relate a passion? No matter what you come up with, there is always some kind of wall between you on the inside and the outer world that you try to communicate your feelings to. This wall – it’s ineradicable, hardly permeable at all, and even if it happens to be a screen, this basic truth still applies. Then again, film certainly, above all else, tells us about emotions, it affects us, moves us or inspires on many different levels but always touches on our emotional strings for sure. Thence its power to impact, to change your life – rarely, but it can. As a matter of fact, emotions in filmmaking not only are the products’ most valuable asset, but also steer the process of their coming about in various profound ways and need to be tended to, their positive drive kept alive because it’s crucial. Success and commitment – these terms constitute the key parameters to measure a sustained passion by, whatever aspect of the craft you may think of. Read up on one such (very personal) account: here.

(pic©mo)

58th Berlinale 2008 – back on track?

After last years’ prolonged suffering and many complaints about an allegedly sagging programme, especially in the main competition, this latest edition fared rather well with the critics. Myself, I can hardly tell how good it’s really been. After all, there just wasn’t enough time for me to meaningfully survey not even all that interested me in the first place, much less every film that seemed promising. So I’ll abstain from passing judgment, but simply take those assessments as they come; and they are mostly quite positive.
In 2008 the Berlin International Film Festival saw a re-accentuation of its political (if not moral) agenda with “Tropa de elite” by José Padilha (Brasil) bagging the festival’s top prize: the Golden Bear for best feature. There has also been a record-breaking turnout (again), indicating that Berlin indeed is the place for all film to go! Documentaries have been very strong once more and well received by audiences; short films have finally been curated as befits an event of this standing; and formal accuracy and a sense of creative (self-)control also figured prominently this year, it seems. No real trend, then, but certainly many valuable ideas and points to pick up and explore further. Let’s see what happens next…

(pic©berlinale.de)

quote of the week

“[B]ut so many are the unrecorded accidents in the fishery, and so plainly did several women present wear the countenance if not the trappings of some unceasing grief, that I feel sure that here before me were assembled those, in whose unhealing hearts the sight of those bleak tablets sympathetically caused the old wounds to bleed afresh.”
(Hermann Melville, Moby-Dick, or The Whale (1851))

10/1 – Berlinale Day 10

58^th Berlinale wraps with its “Berlinale Kinotag” today, screening a selection of this year’s programming to the non-festival public and hopefully adding further to what – once again – has been a record-breaking audience attendance. So, we’ve been spared the snow, what else?

23^rd Panorama
“Tout est parfait/Everything Is Fine”, Yves-Christian Fournier (Canada)
Triste. Goodbye, juvenile suicide static. Addicted, attached: to life? Moody.

Finis!

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 9

38^th Forum expanded
“Years When I Was a Child Outside (Family Multi-channel)”, John Torres (Philippines)
A migrant voice seeks others to redeem the disenfrenchized view.

Congratulations to every one participant and winner!

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 8

More shorts, please!

Actually, I’m surprised to find the short film programming this year to be anything but lacklustre or dull. So I went for a second helping – in which package no. I clearly tops the odd number III.

58^th Berlinale Shorts I
58^th Berlinale Shorts III
In sound and colour (from observation to twist): positively mad.

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 7

In keeping with tradition, it was about time for my very own J-day to carry this thing one step further. And it turned out one of those –ism days (nationalism, chauvinism, militarism, fascism, Tennoism), filled to the brim with such things it apparently is impossible to escape for very long, and provoking ambivalent sentiments as well as a revitalized need for some research. History formation, forms or rites of public commemoration, their respective political implications – these seem recurring topics in quite a few recent films. Interesting!

58^th Berlinale Competition
“Kabei/Our Mother”, Yamada Yoji (Japan)
An elegiac Showa epic, truthful and touching, our filial duty.

38^th Forum
“Yasukuni”, Ying Li (China/Japan)
Troubled, troubling, troublesome picture of addressing a painful binational past.

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 6

(Above all, so they say, this is about recovering lost ground…)

58^th Berlinale Competition
“Bam gua nat/Night and Day”, Hong Sang-soo (South Korea)
Love in times of displacement – strong portrait of male respectability.

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 5

An open panel discussion on international co-productions in a room filled with film folks and their ambitions: soon enough all the oxygen would be used up, but since it’s all about rising to the challenge, no-one budged an inch from their goals. Bottom line to any project remains, that to soar, you first have to acknowledge the realities of the industry; well seasoned professionals in the field shared their experience and provided some insight into crucial business matters.

6^th Berlinale Talent Campus
“Together Forever?”
Talent connects people and places – seal the deal and pitch!

Now let’s get back to film…

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Day 4

Meeting up with people under a clear and shining winter sky – that’s quite a formula I should think!

58^th Berlinale Shorts I
(in competition) “Haze”, Anthony Chen (Singapore)
When you’re young, the horizon can seem a tangible limit.

(pic©berlinale.de)

quote of the week

“They would come to be rivals – which was the natural relationship between men. They would be like animals fighting in a cage; and the cage was time.”
(Michel Houellebecq, The Elementary Particles (1998))

10/1 – Berlinale Day 3

Getting into the mood slowly but steadily now, I once again found my start to be a documentary and facing an issue of filmmaking technique as well as one of subject matter: every starting point to my believe better be pivotal – and so it turned out:

38^th Forum
“Invisible City”, Tan Pin Pin (Singapore)
Substantial record of diminishing memories – what choices will you make?

The world of Berlinale sure looks good from here!

(pic©berlinale.de)

10/1 – Berlinale Days 1&2?

In for no start: I think there has been better timing before than having a cold and being busy just now…

So this is going to be a belated start to this year’s Berlinale for me – let’s hope for the best though!

(pic©berlinale.de)

“the torch“ #25 – Commercial Independence

Everybody wants to strike it big, win the lottery and go home with the main prize – for luck or achievement, what does it matter, really? And undoubtedly, money is a valuable asset better to be had in sufficient supply; especially so when your prime ambition is with film and filmmaking, that incurable inclination to lavishly spend as much and as unreasonably as you possibly can (and preferably somebody else’s $s at that). But there are strings attached with funding obtained from outside sources, the government’s pots or some investor’s neat calculation, and the young auteur is afforded to be just enough of the young entrepreneur as well as to prevent the thing from backfiring – commercially or artistically. For when push comes to shove, those two are inseparable and need to be balanced if not entirely reconciled.
Well, how to? Or, what’s so wrong with that? Questions unanswerable – but happily debated nonetheless: here.

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

“If you like, I will summarize another tale for you, well and skillfully – mind you take it in – telling how gods and mortal men have come from the same starting-point. The race of men that the immortals who dwell on Olympus made first of all was of gold. They were in the time of Kronos, when he was king in heaven; and they lived like gods, with carefree heart, remote from toil and misery. Wretched old age did not affect them either, but with hands and feet ever unchanged they enjoyed themselves in feasting, beyond all ills, and they died as if overcome by sleep.”
(Hesiod, Works and Days (around 700 BC))

Berlinale 2008 begins

Yes, it’s been a whole year and here again comes the big show we’ve all been waiting for, the one event that unlike any other manages to blissfully transform our city of Berlin for some ten days running into a continuous celebration of film and film internationalism: the 58^th Berlin International Film Festival aka Berlinale! I certainly can’t wait, especially since last year’s edition wasn’t particularly shining. So let’s all hope for an outburst of silver screen glory to light up this winter scenery of the bleakly factual world out there, and let’s make this an occasion to remember!

Surely the outlook, the concrete programme that is, doesn’t look too bad, I guess – but of course you can never know until you know, right? There’s many a familiar name included in the line-up (as usual) but hopefully there will be some fresh discoveries to make as well. As for Singapore, Anthony Chen has his latest short film “The Haze” entered in the respective competition – and I wish all the best for that one. Yamada Yoji (last year’s best, remember?) graces us again with “Kabei/Our Mother”, and the Talent Campus, now in its 6^th edition already, will definitely offer lots of inspiration and new insights into international co-production rules-of-the-game, so I hope.

As far as proto-ymagon is concerned, I will stick with the tested quantity of last time’s 10/1 formula: ten words per film to give you my first impressions as I proceed on my visual journey day by day. Stay tuned!

(pic©berlinale.de)

quote of the week

“Both feared the morning, when the moon and stars would be gone, when this room would be harsh and sorrowful with sunlight, and this bed would be dismantled, waiting for other flesh. Love is expensive, Yves had once said, with his curiously dry wonder. One must put furniture around it, or it goes. Now, for a while, there would be no furniture – how long would this night have to last them?”
(James Baldwin, Another Country (1962))

“the torch” #24 – The art of reviewing

True wisdom is never cheaply won, nor can it be learned like it was just another skill to acquire with some effort. It seems to be rather more elusive than that and possibly can only be attained by the few who are lucky enough to become so lucid as to allow for this visitation to fall unto them and enable them to be intimately sympathetic with life in all its endless variations. Informed knowledge and professionalism – that’s what most of us have to make do with, and that can be a reasonable undertaking as well. When it comes to passing judgment, more precisely, to review a given work of art, a film in particular, the one who does is subjected to a wide range of requirements and exacting standards, which condition their work and will in turn determine whether or not the task has been mastered. You can delve into this very specific, yet important topic by visiting the latest edition of “The Torch”: here.

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
(Albert Einstein)

1st asian hot shots berlin 2008

reporting is pathetic and the limitations on time and brain space simply too real...
...but please, you will find ALL the information here:



* do note that the festival is particularly proud to see in its programming a very strong showing of films from Singapore, with two feature films, "The Olive Depression" by Joshua Lim, "Becoming Royston" by Nicholas Chee, a documentary feature, "Where the Sun Rises" by Grace Phan, as well as a multitude of carefully selected short films, some of them highlighted in the special Singapore Hot Shots programme. Don't miss any of it!

(pic©green chilies e.V.)

quote of the week

“Dull half-image and shadow of the word! The whole living painting of manners of life, of habits, needs, peculiarities of lands and skies would have to follow later or to have preceded; one would first have to sympathize with a nation to feel a single of its inclinations and actions, to feel them all together, to find one word, to think all in its richness: or else one reads...a word.”
(Johann Gottfried Herder, Another Philosophy of History for the Education of Mankind (1774))

“the torch” #23 – On documentaries – to capture or to recreate?

Reality, the world around us, poses many a challenge – that much can be easily agreed on. All else is a matter of attitude and honesty it will seem, though it mustn’t be just so arbitrary a choice when it comes to addressing the issues we face and problems that call for a solution. The public domain is where all participants in an environment of freedom of expression jointly develop and permanently question the standards, an agreed upon understanding of what needs to be achieved. The democratic exchange of a diverse range of view-points adds up to the intelligence total of a civilly informed society which has the capacity to act on demand, identify an urgent need and tackle any pressing wrong that needs to be set straight.
Media interdependencies are a well known fact and need to be accounted for when a concerned filmmaker lays claim to documenting a situation, established by facts. What are the specific guidelines for making a truthful (if biased) documentary? Check your options in this by having a look at this edition’s deliberations on the topic: here.

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

“Run! ...for all you're worth, run!”
(Batoru rowaiaru/Battle Royale, Fukasaku Kinji (2000))

lookahead 2008

Firstly, I wish everyone in here a truly happy New Year!
It has been decided by unanimous vote that 2008 will be a devastatingly good year, a year to remember for all the right reasons, so let yourself be transported into the future!
And as it will happen anyway, here’s just a quick reminder of what proto-ymagon will remain committed to no matter what:

Germany-Singapore exchange in the visual arts, film first and foremost. There’s the premiere edition of the Asian Hot Shots Festival Berlin in the offing (more on that shortly), there’s the 58^th Berlinale from 7^th through to 17^th of February, and in April it will be the Singapore International Film Festival (21^st SIFF April 4 -14) for me to attend. So, there is plenty, and that’s a good thing actually!

In literature, we still (im)patiently await the first novel by Rattawut Lapchaorensap, tentatively titled “The End of Siam”, while Gao Xingjian’s “The Case for Literature” (here) and that epic “Journey to the West” keep sitting squarely on my list. Also, there is a new Cambridge Companion to Don DeLillo slated for publication in May (here), but it is quite expensive…

In film, anticipation is high for many a reason (see the above), as I am sure something new by the likes of Miike Takashi (Sukiyaki Western Django) or Jia Zhang-ke (Ciqing shidai/The Age of Tattoo) should make its way to here, sooner or later. For Singapore, well, after it’s been a record-breaking 2007 there is a lot to be expected on this front, I bet! As always, I’ll keep you informed on these matters and am looking forward to hearing from you. Let’s restart!

(pic©www.mcoscillator.com)

quote of the week

“Here it is in a nutshell. Going up is like going north.”
(Th. R. Pynchon, Against The Day (2006))

my list of best films in 2007

1. Se, jie/Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, USA/China/Taiwan/Hong Kong (2007))
2. Bushi no ichibun/Love And Honor (Yamada Yoji, Japan (2006))
3. The Queen (Stephen Frears, UK/France/Italy (2006))
4. Geuk jang jeon/Tale of Cinema (Hong Sang-soo, South Korea (2005))
5. Auf der anderen Seite/The Edge of Heaven (Fatih Akin, Germany (2007))
6. Sanxia haoren/Still Life (Jia Zhang-ke, China (2006))
7. Kain no matsuei/Cain's Descendant (Oku Shutaro, Japan (2006))
8. Sang sattawat/Syndromes and a Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/France/Austria (2006))
9. Strange Culture (Lynn Hershman-Leeson, USA (2007))
10. Takva/A Man's Fear of God (Özer Kiziltan, Turkey (2006))

One true image, at last!

(pic©ming)

quote of the week

Miranda: 'What is't, a spirit? - Lord, how it looks about. Believe me, sir, - It carries a brave form. But 'tis a spirit.'
(W. Shakespeare, The Tempest (1611/1623))

HU-Japanologie: Screenings in December

At the end of the year we’ve been let down, it seems – and I apologize. But there’s nothing I can do, really, other than hope for the best and inform you as soon as the Japan Film-AG decides to put up their programming for public viewing once more.
You’ll catch it all here(, then).

(pic©hu-berlin.de)

“the torch” #22 – in the crux: poetry in a movie

The artist’s mind is an exclave of reason and the rules of utility, and as such it is a liberated combat zone where the fight is fought between the hidden and the obvious as a stratagem of winning-over. Truly anyone is free to do it, though not everyone may be real able to, in equal measure at least. What is poetic in whichever medium – it is a semblance of some higher order; some might even dare to call it a part of the divine. In any case, it is a quality most elusive and rare, to be attained only by the talented few, with luck and patience and the right skills without doubt. So when we are being treated to its cinematic equivalent, we will hardly suffer any substitute for wonder, want to be spared of such embarrassment but catch the real thing only, a glimpse of truth unveiled. One could argue, then, that our just too common tedium total of failed attempts at art-house glory should by now have done the job of getting us to the point where enough is way too much already and we’ve simply had it, dead-alive and little else?
Well, alternatively, you might want to think the ultimate best still possible, if worth aspiring to no matter what – and join that biweekly debate on all things impossible (or so), aka: The Torch, right here.

(pic©mo)

quote of the week

“It seemed as if there was too much light shining in on his empty life.”
(Ardashir Vakil, Beach Boy (1997))

quote of the week

“Perhaps the book, like God, is an idea some men will cling to.”
(John Updike, More Matter (1999))

Berlin Watch redefined

I’ve said it all along but no-one would listen: how Singapore is set to transform my beloved city of Berlin! Now watch out for a new watch-out, as Singapore-based firm Great Wheel Corporation is beginning construction on Europe’s biggest Ferris wheel, due to be completed by late 2009. The facts are okay, but certainly the spirit counts for more, don’t you think? Accordingly, the Great Berlin Wheel will be huge, rising to a total height of 185 metres, as those in charge know: size does matter! That’s easily more than the London Eye and beats even the Singapore Flyer’s 165 metres (currently under construction) to 20 metres – who would have thought?
Now this should set us reeling for sure, offering a whole new perspective on all that’s not there: like foreign investors, a positive attitude, break-through thinking, and money actually…

(pic©DDP)