Botanical Short Films
Getting leaves to make images on a layer of emulsion, an oak pushing its way into a room or wondrous beings in the last remnant of primordial forest – trees and humans meet in these short films by Michiel van Bakel, Roderick Hietbrink, Anna Abrahams, Ben Rivers and Karel Doing.
We embrace tree trunks, pick mushrooms or build treehouses: people find themselves in the woods. The five short films showing this afternoon reveal the mysterious connection between people and the woods and nature, whether by using a scanner camera, a good old 16mm Bolex or the layer of emulsion on the film negative.
Programme
Forest Paths (Michiel van Bakel, NL 2018, 4')
A distorted, enchanting walk through a wood. Animated still photos reveal movement and light along the woodland pathways that would otherwise remain invisible to the human eye. Van Bakel’s ‘scanner camera’ expands the range of human vision: what is the difference between a flying insect’s observations, and those of a human being?
The Living Room (Roderick Hietbrink, NL 2011, 8')
The privacy of a Dutch living room is disrupted by a huge oak that gradually pushes its way into the room, resulting in a confrontation between tree and house that is both realistic and absurd.
5 Walks. (Hercynia Silva Anna Abrahams, NL 2008, 16')
The awe and grandeur of the last remnant of primordial forest in Northern Europe evokes a history of hunting, fleeing and meetings with wondrous beings.
Ah, Liberty! (Ben Rivers, GB 2008, 20')
Impressionist portrait of a remote place in an overwhelmingly rugged landscape where a family lives a natural life. Filmed in grainy 16mm Cinemascope (black & white) and developed by hand.
Phytography (Karel Doing, GB 2020, 8')
Phytography dives into the rich and varied world of plant chemistry. This collection of organic 'objets trouvés' demonstrates how nature generates multiple creative solutions, each one structured intricately. Through the application of a simple chemical process, the selected leaves, petals and stems have imprinted their own images on the film's emulsion. Shapes, colours and rhythms whirl across the screen drawing the viewer into a world beyond language and speech.
This is part of
Details
Production year
2021
Length
56 min.
Country
NL
Part of
Cinema Ecologica
Much in life is uncertain, but one thing is sure: climate change. Cinema Ecologica focuses on how film directors depict the relationship between humanity and the earth: from nail-biting disaster films to artistic meditations, from romantic nature experiences to astounding science fiction.
Planning on having a drink or a bite to eat? Book online for Eye Bar Restaurant.
Share your love for film and become a member of the Eye Society.