Aftermath

synopsis

A heterogeneous tetralogy of personal profiles brings together four individuals from different corners of the world of art – pianist and entertainer Fats Waller, painter Jackson Pollock, photographer Janieta Eyre, and painter Frida Kahlo. The ambient collage of turbulent social conditions is infused with intimate moments of artistic immersion. Hypnotic images vibrate with a captivating approach to the subjects’ individual lives. Hoolboom combines documentary footage and re-enactments with experimental collage. Sped-up footage, weightlessly floating cameras, VR, found footage, the patina of 16mm films – all of them tools for redefining the genre of cinematic portrait.

„The movie poses this question: how to survive in the aftermath, of the state, of the state of your family, of your body. Artist examples are offered. Perhaps only in the act of doubling, in a crowd scene, can I find this thing I call myself.“ M. Hoolboom

biography

Mike Hoolboom (1900) is a leading figure in Canadian experimental film and video who previously worked for the CFMDC distribution company and as artistic director of the Images festival. Besides being the author of numerous books on experimental cinema, he has also written his own novel. He has made more than 80 films and videos, many of which he edits or otherwise alters to create new forms. In 2003, the Ji.hlava IDFF honored him with a retrospective of his work, and last year the festival showed his most recent film Spectator (2017).

more about film