IFFR 2019: The joy of masterclasses, talks and lectures
IFFR 2019: Cool masterclasses, talks and lectures
12 februari 2019
Claire Denis, Guillermo Arriaga, Carlos Reygadas, Agnieszka Holland… only a few respected names that gave a masterclass, talk or lecture at this years International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). I managed to catch four of them. And now you can see some of them too, beacuse many are available online on the official IFFR You Tube channel.
Freedom lecture by Agnieszka Holland
I truly enjoyed this sharp and uncompromising leucture on freedom and the role filmmakers play in shaping the political landscape. I found Agnieszka to be an intelligent and eloquent lady who I enjoyed listening to. Her lecture starts with a historical overview of film in the context of politics, ending with present time, the rise of populism and the questions filmmakers have to ask themselves today. Following the lecture, Dutch filmcritic Dana Linssen discusses it further with Holland.
For those who want to analyse the lecture further on their own, the complete text can be found here.
Masterclass Claire Denis: on the road to High Life
Another cool lady I was fortunate to listen to was the legendary French filmmaker Claire Denis. In a relaxed talk with Simon Field, a good friend of Denis and a former director of IFFR, she revisits her versatile and daring oeuvre. And of course Denis’ latest ‘High Life’ which premiered on IFFR earlier in the day. The talk offers an insight in Denis’s artistic approach. How she carefully constructs her worlds, with a well plotted use of color, sounds & music, and use of the body (both human and architectural), among other notable aspects.
Other masterclasses and talks to watch
Next to the two talks mentioned above I also visited the interview with Mexiacan author/screenwriter/director Guillermo Arriaga. And a talk with French film theorist and curator Nicole Brenez who talked about Jean Luc Godard’s latest film ‘Le Livre d’Image’, which was screend as part of IFFR’s special art programme.
Arriaga’s interview is not (yet) available online, but Brenez’ master talk can be found on IFFR’s You Tube channel. Together with other talks from IFFR 2019 as well as from previous editions. So visit IFFR on YouTube and make your own playlist.