PART OF Sabzian Events
PART OF Sabzian Events
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The Cinema of Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul (1970) is known for, among other films, Tropical Malady (2004) and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010), which shows, in Apichatpong’s words, “the relationship between man and animal and at the same time destroys the line dividing them”. His latest film, Memoria (2021), takes place in Columbia, where a deep historical context resonates, foreign to both the main character and the director himself. His films experiment with the dramatic plot structure of Thai television, radio programs, comics and films. He often uses improvised dialogues and non-professional actors, exploring the boundaries between documentary and fiction.
On Halloween, Belgian filmmakers Chloë Delanghe and Mattijs Driesen will present Hexham Heads, their co-directed film, at Art Cinema OFFoff. Their film is based on a ghost story deriving from the English town of Hexham, where a family was terrorized by a series of paranormal occurrences after bringing home some small stone heads. It is a re-account of this story and a re-imagination of the horror film genre, in which spaces, objects and the photographic process engender suspense. On this festive horror-evening, creators of the soundtrack Sam Comerford and Branwen Kavanagh will give a concert. After that, Delanghe and Driesen have chosen a surprise Halloween film to share with you.
In anticipation of this event, I asked these seasoned horror fans which other films they’d recommend. Their first choice is The Shining by Stanley Kubrick, stating: “The trope of the gloomy haunted house evoking a domestic trauma-psychology is transformed and expanded here into a gigantic, brightly lit hotel evoking a historic injury. This haunted space is defined by its labyrinthian corridors, in which time and place are confused, and wherein the violence of both psychology and history is continually repeated.”
Their second film of choice is Smile 2 by Parker Finn, who has declared The Shining his favourite film of all time and has cast Ray Nicholson, son of Jack Nicholson, in his latest instalment of the Smile franchise. “We haven’t seen this one yet, but we’re looking forward to it,” say Delanghe and Driesen. “The first one was far from great, but it had a truly weird ending. And even bad horror films always have interesting stakes.”
Each month, Sabzian lists upcoming Belgian premieres, releases and festivals.