TOUCH Memory (VIETNAM)

In the film TOUCH Memory (VIETNAM), two lines depicting Vietnam become blurred. The first such line focuses on young Europeans living in contemporary Vietnam while the second captures memories of the country after the war. Both lines are connected by voice overs, which help amplify the story. One of Canada's most prominent experimental filmmakers continues to develop the cinematography of layered images, reinforced by commentary and overlapping texts, in which full visuality and verbal associations are always of political importance.

 

Canadian filmmaker Mike Hoolboom (1900) is mainly known for his experimental films. The son of a Dutch father and an Indonesian mother, he radically reconsidered his career when he learnt that he was HIV positive. Body tissue flowing with blood, viruses, and both personal and cinematic memories take centrefold throughout his work. Among his films include Buffalo Death Mask (Jihlava IDFF 2013) and Public Lighting (Jihlava IDFF 2004). He has also made a few appearances at the Jihlava Festival as a guest judge for the sections Between the Seas and Opus Bonum.