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22/1/2002

Exploding Cinema

International Film Festival Rotterdam, Rotterdam

31st International Film Festival Rotterdam Wednesday, 23 January through Sunday, 3 February 2002

FACTSHEET
Exploding Cinema: ´Pause - freezing music video culture´.

As a regular item of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Exploding Cinema presents a comprehensive overview of the most recent developments in the borderland between feature films and music video. Under the heading ´Pause - freezing music video culture´, a selection of music videos (shown on big screen), feature films and documentaries will be shown that are made by image-determining designers and clip directors.

In addition, the Exploding Cinema programme comprises live events, panel discussions and the exhibition 'Clip City' in the Dutch Institute for Architecture (Rotterdam).
From the early nineteen eighties on, the rapidly changing and developing image culture of the music video was given a world-wide platform through the television network MTV. At the peak of this medium‘s popularity, bands often made several music videos per album. However, the available space for showing music videos on music networks has significantly declined, because of the dramatic commercialisation of the music industry and the formation of large conglomerates.

Although television networks like MTV broadcast less music videos, groups of musicians, designers and filmmakers all over the world continue to make very innovative music videos, short films and feature films. Many of the music videos within Exploding Cinema have never been shown on television. Because of the fact that the most innovative and creative music videos are hardly shown any more, while all the time the influence film and video clip have on one another is steadily growing, Exploding Cinema focuses on the vanguard of the image-determining, independent designers and directors who often produce feature films, commercials and music videos alike. In this way it becomes apparent what is currently going on in the borderland between feature film, short film, documentary and music video.
With this theme, Exploding Cinema closely connects to the most important special programme of this film festival edition: What (is) Cinema?, a comprehensive programme of films and discussions on the state of affairs and the expectations for the future of the independent, innovative cinema.

Some of the compilation programmes have been built around a theme. 'French New Wave' for instance, features clips of bands such as Air, Mirwais and Etienne de Crecy, which are evidently strongly influenced by animation and graphic design. 'No More Stars' features clips of bands, such as the Gorillaz, Daft Punk and Fatboy Slim, who deliberately do not appear in the media or for live audiences in person, but who build up their image through their music videos. 'Electric Cinema' is a selection of almost abstract clips of bands such as Red Snapper, Plaid, Mouse on Mars and Clinic who work with very experimental and new designers.

Other compilation programmes show the works of image-determining directors whose music video and pop promotion works distinguish themselves by originality, creativity and artistic value. Directors Wiz (England), Michel Gondry (France), Spike Jonze (USA) and Traktor (Sweden) will be invited to attend the showings of their works, after which they will explain their works and present their views on future developments. Within the framework of Exploding Cinema, a set has been compiled of new feature films and documentaries made by clip directors and films that contain the image language and editing techniques developed for music videos. This item includes films such as PAPERBOYS (Mike Mills, USA), DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS (Stacy Peralta, USA), STRIKE A LIGHT (Giovanna Sonnino, USA/Italy) and TEENAGE KICKS - THE UNDERTONES (Tom Collins, Ireland).

In Off Corso, on the Kruiskade in Rotterdam, a video lounge will be set up for the Exploding Cinema programme. The Dutch Institute for Architecture (NaI) in Rotterdam links up with the Exploding Cinema theme with the exhibition ‘Clip City’ which deals with the visualisation in music videos of space, architecture and the city. On a multitude of screens, music videos based on various themes will be shown unabridged. The creation of an artificial space forms an important theme in these videos. For instance, director Marc Romanek made the seven million dollar video ‘Scream’ for Michael and Janet Jackson, in which the viewer is literally taken on a tour through minutely designed spaceship. The Jamiroquai-video ‘Virtual Insanity’ (1996) by director Jonathan Glazer is another example of how space is put in an artificial frame.

In contrast to this artificiality, are the real architectonic and urban context. Examples of this are the Rolling Stones music video ‘Love is Strong’ (which is set in New York) and the Lenny Kravitz music video ‘Are You Gonna Go My Way?’, in which the singer performs in a huge gas container. ‘Clip City’ is part of the Exploding Cinema programme and can be viewed in the Dutch Institute for Architecture from 26 January through 14 April, 2002. Naturally, Exploding Cinema will also include live events with late night performances by DJs, VJs and bands.

IFFR
International Film Festival Rotterdam
Karel Doormanstraat 278b
Rotterdam

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