mรกs ymรกs
monthly newsletter of NISI MASA
MAR12 THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT conversation:
IGOR BEZINOVIC report:
by Karl Taul
ROTTERDAM
editorial Just a little more than half a year ago New York’s Zuccotti Park witnessed the beginning of the Occupy Movement. Instead of having two hour marches with no effect, the protesters decided to stay until their message was heard. To hold the people in power under pressure as watchmen. It didn’t even take weeks for the protests to spread to other American cities and across the seas onto other continents. Why it happened so fast was largely due to the fact that the movement had the best possible PR-team – the young active internet generation. Instead of newspapers and TV, the information about the movement spread mainly online and instead of just being the subjects, the protesters themselves were producing most of the news and reports. The Occupy Movement is now counted as the first large-scale movement that is “democratically documented”. With about 4 out of 5 protesters having some kind of a recording device with them, the amount of audiovisual material produced is enormous. With little work and a lot of creativity, the clips are fastly edited into professional-like pro-occupy short-documentaries. These vimeoish, Canon shot short documentaries have almost become the face of the whole movement. But in the sea of the new self-made film-
Two protesters during a Occupy demonstration in Brussels by Anna Marti
makers, there are still also old professionals. Professionals who are having trouble with competing with the troubles of being at the right place at the right time. The solution for them seems to be to join forces and collaborate with the always on set protesters. Doing a mash-up of all the already online material offers one possibility. A group of documentary filmmakers in America are doing just that on a project called “99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film”. It is a thoroughly democratic process, where everyone has the possibility to submit their own footage, and by this, it also reflects the beliefs of the movement. It is sure that in the future we will hear from many professionally produced occupy films, but until now, it seems the Canon camera and Vimeo have taken the forefront of up to date documentary making. We’ll be waiting to see what the professionals have to offer.
by Karl Taul
Mas y Mas is a monthly newsletter published by the association NISI MASA. EDITORIAL STAFF Coordination & Layout: Lucía Ros Serra
Contributors to this issue: Karl Taul, Audrey Ewell, Sanne Rovers, Flavio G. Garcia, Mario Kozina, Celluloid Liberation Front, Anna Marti, Johanna Kinnari, Lucia Ros
NISI MASA (European Office) 99 Rue du Faubourg Saint Denis 75010, Paris, France Tel/Fax: +33 (0)9 60 39 63 38 + 33 (0)6 32 61 70 26 Email europe@nisimasa.com Website www.nisimasa.com
credits.
3
Occupy Movement
dossier
WHY FILM A REVOLUTION? Spanish Revolution: "Video- Derives: Sol"
Two European filmmakers shooting during demonstrations and campments in their own cities; an American film director coordinating a huge collaborative documentary film around Occupy Wall Street; a film about the financial crisis... It's clear: young filmmakers feel attracted to the spontaneity of the movement and concerned about how to show the reality of it. Let's hear what they have to say.
I-OCCUPY: Collective Filmmaking at Occupy Amsterdam
I don´t consider myself an activist. I´m not involved with the initial organizers of the Spanish Revolution movement. So, as a filmmaker, everything I´ve done about it is the result of being there, when citizens occupied the streets of Madrid. But it´s just a view. One of many. In my personal experience, I´ve found two ways of approaching films in this kind of historical, protests headed, context. One is working in present time and with urgency, as the events occur, in order to share the final film as soon as possible and contribute. The other one is to take some distance, and edit the material months later, which gives you more perspective, but may also affect the film the wrong way, as its moment may have passed. My film, “Video-derives: Sol”, was made the first way. It was an impulse, and I hope it reflects the impulse we all felt those days. It´s about the first thing that got my attention there: the new media ecosystem and the fact that every single person had a camera and was capturing the events. I wanted the film to be very expressive, an intense collage of images going from multiplicity to compromise, some chaos, and a final hope, with
that last shot of a photographer against a blue sky, watching, vigilant... So, I didn´t want to portrait the occupation frontally, or to be too political, analytic, or discursive. The movement is so complex that I don´t think a film like that is even possible yet. You probably need “way two” of approach (distance, time) to go that route. Almost one year has passed since the Spanish Revolution started. Again, distance and time have lowered the support of some people, but the movement is asking the question: how to continue the work? Let´s all find out...
by Flavio G. Garcia www.flavioggarcia.net
Sanne Rovers and Aliona van der Horst at Beursplein, Occupy Amsterdam 15th of October 2011. After a big demonstration, Occupy starts to camp at the Beursplein in Amsterdam. During this event, I’m asked to join a new collective of documentary makers to make a film about Occupy Amsterdam. We are positive this could make change possible. And we will be a part of it. Similar to the movement we work without a leader. We film in couples on a daily basis. Big actions are planned and more tents rise at the camp. But Occupy is situated right between the hookers, tourists and train station. Homeless people and drug addicts come to sleep at the camp. These are not the ones who want to change the world. These are the people you want to change the world for. But when is someone part of Occupy and can you evict someone from a public space? We also try to find out what Occupy is about. There is a collective discontent expressed by individual ideas and opinions. What is the effect when a movement is without a leader or concrete demands? The occupation of the square is held at the very same time as IDFA, the biggest documentary festival of the world. While filming at Occupy, we have discussions with our cynical colleagues. They say: “It is just another hype. Nothing will ever change”. But our collective feels the urge to contribute and keeps on filming.
The Beursplein changes into a mini society. For the protesters it takes more energy trying to solve all the internal problems instead of organising actions. Meanwhile their energy to keep on protesting is admirable. What is their personal motivation? For us, documentary makers, this is an interesting arena in which so many emotions come together. On the 8th of December the camp is evicted. No mayor actions have been organised since. For us, it raises new questions. Are we disappointed? Is the crisis in the Netherlands not big enough to find a larger group of followers? And what are other options for actions in the year 2012? The advantage by working in a collective: we keep on discussing about this subject. For now, we’re researching these questions. So we can make a film about the people behind Occupy and our personal search: if and how it might be possible to let change happen.
by Sanne Rovers
dossier
Occupy Movement
4
99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film
99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film is a documentary film being made by nearly 100 people across America. We’ve incorporated the work of award-winning independent directors, producers or photographers into one portrait of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The Occupy movement began modestly with a small group of protesters occupying Zuccotti Park in New York’s lower Manhattan. But it soon became clear that the global themes of economic inequality and injustice that had been bubbling under the surface for many years had found a powerful outlet. The protests spread and new encampments sprang up, but many observers complained that the mainstream media was failing to provide honest, nuanced coverage. As a filmmaker living in New York, I was very uncomfortable with the media blackout during the movement’s first two weeks. Then, on Oct 1, 2011, I was at home in Brooklyn, listening to a livestream broadcast of the events unfolding on the Brooklyn Bridge. Hundreds of people were being arrested as hundreds more protested, and yet it failed to make the mainstream news broadcasts. That night, my film partner Aaron Aites and I went down to the park, camera and lights in tow. People from all walks of life and from all over the country stepped forward to talk about the reasons they were there. It was quite unlike anything I’d ever seen. The next day, I felt a need to make this film… with others. There was something about their process and the kinetic, experimental nature of the movement that got me excited and made me want to try a parallel experiment with other filmmakers; not as in internal part of the Occupy Movement, but in a process that mirrors it in some ways. The treatment I’d be interested in would be the one with many voices, many perspectives; an open and collaborative film. So I put out the word among filmmaker friends, got a website up and within a week we had about 30 people. In two weeks 50, and we’d been
Review of Charles Ferguson's "Inside Job"
“Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it” - Milton Friedman The aerial shot of the Los Angeles freeways or the Manhattan skyline is the quintessential opening sequence of your average 80s film, starring a young and attractive yuppie making it big in the big town.
Anachronistically so is the beginning of Inside Job, subordinate by-product of that totalizing Capitalism where semi-tolerated, semi-encouraged and co-opted protest is an intrinsic part of the democratic farce. In Charles Ferguson’s documentary, a systemic crisis is blamed on individual greed while carefully avoiding any critique of the very fundaments of western civilization that reward prevarication and stigmatizes weakness. The liberal fundamentalism that ushered financial violence is the mere vagary of a failed movie star (Reagan) and a successful transsexual (Thatcher) and not the consequential aftermath of Fordism. A crucial
profiled in the NY Times, among others. This helped us find more filmmakers and other contributors and as of today, we have almost 100 people from all over the country contributing. We’ve run two successful crowdfunding campaigns, totaling close to $25,000, and we’re now pursuing coproduction financing both in the US and internationally. While we mirror the movement in some of our processes and in our open and collaborative ethos, we differ from the movement in some significant ways. Anyone who’s made a film can tell you that they are not made by committee. So, for instance, while all formats are accepted and all points of view are welcome, a core group of more experienced filmmakers are guiding the production. In practical terms, for example, the core group decided that we needed an outline, and so we brought that idea to the larger group and made one together. People then volunteered to direct various threads of the film, or to do other things like PR and outreach, or web design. So our collaboration includes people who are not shooting or editing footage, but who are contributing based on their skills. It’s hard coordinating and working with this many people, some of whom are very experienced, and others who are new to filmmaking. But it’s exciting too. Amazing footage is rolling in, and I can’t wait to see the film we make!
by Audrey Ewell, director.
Web: www.99percentfilm.com/
antecedent such as the end of the Bretton Woods System, which cancelled in 1971 the direct convertibility of US dollars into gold – inaugurating thus the power of financial abstraction – is not even mentioned. The filmmaker dwells on his own dubious valiance as fearless interviewer of evil guys who after having made a fortune on Wall Street they even go with prostitutes (then Berlusconi was not the only one! Was he?). While ‘questioning’ the power that be the documentary does not hesitate to adopt mainstream techniques such as fast MTV-like editing that sacrifices close examination in the name of entertainment and marketability. Capitalism, the documentary insinuates, is a fundamentally just and free system that’s been hijacked by few rotten apples, our task therefore is to restore it back to its original glory, for after all, as Matt Damon urges us to understand, “there are causes worth fighting for” while the camera epically pans on the Statue of Liberty. Fortunately the director did not interview the thousands of people who were tortured under Pinochet’s rule where neo-liberal theories were being tested while its ideologue, Milton Friedman, was collecting his Nobel Prize for economics… Likely to do very well in domestic and foreign marts alike the film will have large crowds sighing in relief: “thanks God someone is still doing this kind of films, they don’t have guys like that in Iran or North Korea!”
by Celluloid Liberation Front
5
Occupy Movement
dossier
interview:
IGOR BEZINOVIC, director Igor Bezinović, participant of Istanbul Express, became a filmmaker with a recognizable style and approach in Croatia. His films often deal with politically and socially hot events that are ignored or misinterpreted by the mainstream media. So is the case with his long anticipated Blockade, a feature documentary about the occupation of The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb in April and May of 2009. Students’ goal was to maintain free, publicly funded educational system, and their initiative turned into the biggest and the most important student protest in the last 40 years. Blockade premiered this February at the ZagrebDox festival. When and how did you start to film the occupation of the Faculty? We started filming about 3 weeks before the whole mess started. At that time rumours were being spread about the possible occupation of the Faculty. I personally knew most of the students who were involved from the very beginning, so we quite spontaneously started filming the preparatory meetings, not knowing that the occupation will turn out to be the biggest and the most relevant student protest since 1971. Can you share some details about the filming? In the beginning my cinematographer and I did the shooting and recording, but on the first day of the occupation we invited two extra cinematographers, who were students of the University of Zagreb at the time. In total four camera-persons were involved in the process, so at least one of us was always present in the building. The decision was to follow the people who were involved in the organization from the very beginning, to limit our shooting only to the main Faculty building and to apply the “direct cinema”, “fly on the wall” style. The last day of the occupation was also the last filming day.
The blockade defied conventional media representation of such movements: e.g. instead of choosing a „charismatic leader“, the students continuously presented themselves as a communal body. Did this present some challenges for you in terms of developing the story? Every scriptwriter will tell you that you have to have strong characters in order to tell a good story. The main issue while editing was how to apply that principle, but at the same time to stress that the characters we are following aren't leaders in any way. This film wouldn't make any sense if it was character-driven, since the very idea of the movement was to depersonalize ideas. However, we wanted to personalize the antagonistic characters (politicians and the direction of the Faculty), so we presented them in a way that the viewer can easily remember and distinguish them. How did you decide which events to use for the final cut? The idea was to edit a feature length documentary in a more or less chronological way without using voiceover narration, without using interviews and without any written explanations in the titles. We had about 200 hours of footage and the editing process lasted for more than two years. The editing strategy was to edit the most filmic and most memorable scenes first and then to build the story around them, while continuously trying to balance emotions, humour and the presence of characters within each part of the film. When making a film on such topics, do you think it's important for a filmmaker to take a stand or to be an impartial observer? I think impartial observing in film doesn't exist: each time someone tries to be impartial, sooner or later we get the idea about the author's intentions. I believe that the viewer should be clear about the author's general intention from the first part of the film. That serves as an interpretative key for the later scenes, and the author doesn't have to bother the viewer with facts over and over again. I'm sure that films made by Godard, Gavras or Pontecorvo wouldn't be remembered today if they had not taken a stand.
By Mario Kozina Watch the trailer here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rapy8BxBGk
news ALL CHANGE AT THE EUROPEAN OFFICE! The more observant amongst you may have noticed that there’s been a lot of movement in NISI MASA’s Paris HQ in the past weeks, with the departure of some key staff members and the arrival of new colleagues. Maartje Alders (Netherlands), our Graphic Design pro and Helvetica enthusiast, will be heading off to exciting new horizons in the Middle East, while long-time Project Manager / admin junkie Jude Lister is joining our friends at the Bristol Encounters International Film Festival in her native UK. Meanwhile, Viviana Carlet (Italy), Artistic Director of the Lago Film Fest, has joined us as Office Coordinator for the upcoming months. And Lucia Ros Serra (Spain) is our new Mas y Mas editor, replacing Mario Kozina (Croatia) who is now finishing his studies in Zagreb. Keep your eyes peeled for yet more changes to come in the next months, with the appointment of the new Heads of Department, Supervisory Board Members and Chief staff positions (see next news item), as well as another departure of one very important NISI MASA person.
IFDA SUMMER SCHOOL
call for applications Do you want to take benefit of your summer? Easy, join the Summer School hosted by the International Documentary Film Festival which will take place from 18 to 23 June. The Summer School is already looking for young filmmakers to help them develop their film projects. A total of 16 projects will be selected, 10 of them will be in the script development phase and the other 6 in the rough- cut phase. The participants will attend master-classes and will be helped by script and editing professionals. The deadline for applications is 1st April.
NISI MASA NEW STRUCTURE CALL FOR CANDIDATES
As you already know, NISI MASA is restructuring in 2012, in order to face the exciting challenges that will emerge during its second decade of activities. The new organizational structure, which will be implemented from May 1st 2012, will include the creation of an Executive Board and a Supervisory Board. These two new boards, composed by 9 people, will lead all the NSI MASA’s actions. The call for candidates for part-time, freelance positions as “Heads of Department”, part of the Executive Board, is now closed but our Supervisory Board also needs some volunteer roles: - President - Treasurer - Secretary- General. If you’re interested in any of these roles, you have till March 15th at midnight (Central European Time) to make your applications.
BRISTOL ENCOUNTERS
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Bristol Encounters International Film Festival is arriving at its 18th edition and they’re already looking for submissions. Bristol Encounters is one of the UK’s longest running competitive short film festival and been selected in it brings you the chance of bagging big prizes, priceless exposure, or a prestigious award from Oscars, European Film Awards or BAFTA’s. They are calling for shorts of any genre, under 30 minutes and filmed after Jananuary 1st , 2011. Submission are accepted from 1st March to 6th June. More info: www.encounters-festival.org.uk/briefencounters2.html
MAshrome Film festival- mashup awards 2012
On March 5th we will open a call for several full- time positions as Chief Officers, so keep an eye open for the call for applications launch, which deadline will be March 23rd. For more info and job descriptions: www.nisimasa.com/?q=taxonomy/term/1
cinema jove Call for submissions Cinema Jove International Film Festival is calling for film submissions for its 26th edition that will take place from 15 – 22 June. This festival, settled in Valencia (Spain), is the perfect meeting point for young filmmakers and a great international window to show their works. Cinema Jove’s Official Selections need first or second feature and short films from all around the world for its new edition. The deadline for film submissions is 15th March, 2012. More info: www.cinemajove.com
New festival on the horizon! The MAshRome Film Festival has born and it has immediately become the first Italian festival dedicated to the art of Mash Up, and they’re calling for film submissions. The festival, which will be held in Rome during the spring, will showcase previews of the best new mash-ups of filmmakers from all over the world. A panel of international judges comprising illustrious names in the artistic, cultural and film industry world, will decide the winners of the competition. Feature films, documentaries and short films will be accepted in the festival sections. The deadline for submissions is March 31st, 2012 More info: www.mashrome.org
agenda CROSS VIDEO DAYS women rights MARKET night fest
29 february- 2 march NISI MASA Board Meeting in Maribor
2 - 4 march
European Short Pitch Coproduction Forum Maribor
6 march
Film Submission deadline FEST Do you want to co-produce or/and distribute your cross or transmedia programme? Come and meet business partners at the Cross Video Days Market on June 12-13 in Paris! Cross Video Days is a meeting place for B2B players in the video industry, any size, any platform. Cross Video Days is organising the 1st European Market for cross- and transmedia projects in Paris showcasing innovative digital content (webdoc, webfiction, webseries, webTV, socialTV, ARG, transmedia projects). 20 projects from all over Europe will be selected to be presented within this market, in front of professionals and potential buyers and investors. The selected team will be invited for free to the whole Cross Video Days event including the European Transmedia market or conferences and workshops. You can submit your transmedia project before 10 April 2012. More info: www.crossvideodays.com
NISIMAZINE CANNES 2012
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS We love Film Festivals and we know you also do, that's why we're getting ready for Cannes 2012 and we're looking for film lovers to participate in our Nisimazine Cannes 2012 issue. The participants will form an international editorial team motivated to make innovative and fresh festival coverage. It will be a unique opportunity to gain practical, hands on experience in a Film Journalism Workshop from 15th to 28th May 2012. To kno w how to apply: w w w. nisimas a.com / ?q = no de /427
UN Women Skopje office, in cooperation with the Institute for Gender Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje the University of Audio-visual Arts ESRA and the city of Skopje, are organizing the third edition of Women’s Rights Nights from 5 to 8 March, 2012, at the cinema “Frosina” – Mladinski Kulturen Centar in Skopje (Macedonia) Women’s Rights Nights offers an alternative to traditional celebrations of International Women’s Day and through art, it encourages both women and men to critically reflect upon pertaining gender inequalities, while praising the achievements that have been made to date. Both of the editions of WRN confirmed the interest of the public in new forms of engagement with women’s rights and gender equality. The event, organized for the third time, offers screening of 4 documentary films showing different stories tackling economic and political rights of women. This edition of the event will show “The dream job”, Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia (2006), Tobacco girl, Macedonia/ Germany (2009), Dish: Women, Waitressing and the Art of Service, Canada (2010), and What a beautiful democracy!, Turkey (2008). After the screenings, the public is invited to discuss with authors/producers of the movies, human rights and women’s rights activists on specific topics related to gender aspects of women in the entertainment industries, opportunities and perspectives for young women, the art of service as a job or a profession, and the involvement of women in political champagnes. The event “Women’s Rights Nights” is free of charge during all four evenings, 5th to 8th March 2012. More info: http://www.womensrightsnights.net
10 march
Deadline Nisimazine Cannes 2012
15 march
Closing date for NISI MASA Supervisory Board Member applications
23 march
Closing date for NISI MASA chief officers (full time job positions)
30 march
Deadline Script&Pitch Audience Designers 2012 TorinoFilmLab
29-31 march
NISI MASA General Assembly Zagreb
NISIMAZINE ROTTERDAM
spotlight Once again, our Nisimazine team has worked hard to bring us an amazing Nisimazine Special issue focused on the Tiger Shorts Competition from Film Festival Rotterdam. Short films from all over the world were screened during the festival and revied in our magazine. The one and only Mario Kozina relates his experience and his impressions on the festival and the short films participating in Rotterdam.
Director Hayoun Kwon by Johanna Kinnari
A Festival that Itches A woman is standing in the kitchen, as if waiting for something to happen. After some time she takes a deep breath and starts to clean dead frogs in the sink. The director cuts to a close up of the blade of her knife that separates the skin and muscles from the bones and tendonds of forgs' feet in a precise but painful static shot. After some time we see her coming down the stairs of the building (where she was either living or working) and then the credits appear: I'm Lisa. The End.
correctly – suggested), even when the films that we were watching made you have a physical reaction more proper for the toilet than the cinema.
‌or, the beginning, but of another film. This year the Nisimazine team got the opportunity to conquer another festival. Its destination: International Film Festival Rotterdam! The vessel was Nisimazine Special, its crew was made of six alumni members, and the menu was the Tiger Shorts Competition. The voyage was daring, weird, hilarious, crazy, meditative, beautiful, moving, erotic, intelligent, shocking, unpolished, contemplative, mysterious, manyfaceted, disturbing and original (as the visual identity of the festival quite litteraly – and quite
So was the case with I'm Lisa. On the first glance it seemed horrible: from its dreadful pacing to its imagery. Still, the film kept itching and itching. Its rather simple, but effective overuse of close up, static shot, and toying with the narrative structure by the smart use of closing credits, in the aftermath made me wonder: what's wrong with this girl if her character can be reduced to a disgusting action of frog-cleaning? I haven't figured it out yet, but it still itches, nevertheless!
In other words, covering the short competition at the festival wasn't an easy task, but it was also a rewarding one, because a significant part of the programming was to support unpolished and unfeceted pearls, with little sparkles of brilliance scattered alll around their rough surface.
By Mario Kozina
Break time by Johanna Kinnari
You can now read our Nisimazine Special: Rotterdam Shorts