Heidegger in Auschwitz

synopsis

Czech Joy - Out of competition

The German philosopher Martin Heidegger, one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century, goes on a tour of Auschwitz forty years after his death. He takes 2,500 photographs during his visit. On his way back, he visits Prague and his attention is caught by the tail end of a marathon, which conspicuously reminds him of a funeral. The following winter, his Jewish lover and another of the most important thinkers of the 20th century, Hannah Arendt, rises from the grave as well. With a 16mm camera in hand, she aimlessly wanders the area surrounding Heidegger’s chalet in Todtnauberg. She has visions of various motifs from the great philosopher’s central work, Being and Time. All is arranged in a strictly structural shape. Static in movement, kinetic in stillness.

“Oh, Germany! People laugh when they hear the talk that comes from your house. But anyone who sees you reaches for a knife.” M. Ježek

biography

Martin Ježek (1976) is one of the most distinctive representatives of Czech experimental structural film. He studied production and editing at FAMU. He has been shooting short documentary essays since 1999, when Foma again began making 8mm film. His films are a regular presence at the Ji.hlava IDFF, including original works, adaptations (A House Far Away, 2007) or so-called collective films (Second League, 2007).

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