The film has been recently awarded at Wrocław’s T-Mobile New Horizons Festival. Now it has received the Best Film award at the Locarno Film Festival. Written and directed by Zuzanna Solakiewicz, 15 Corners of the World translates the world of Rudnik’s sounds into a visual interpretation of the sensual and emotional perception of music.
It is a picture relying mostly on impressionistic images rather than verbal narration on the history of Polish Radio Experimental Studio and one of the pioneers of Polish electronica Eugeniusz Rudnik. The film’s experimental format may not necessarily turn out as appealing to new audiences; the aficionados, however, will definitely revel, said Hollywood Reporter of the film.
The documentary offers and experience on the edge of cinema, music and dance instead of a classic documentary narration.
Captions are few and commentary nonexistent, Solakiewicz instead drawing narration from Rudnik's extensive diaries, in which complex technical and theoretical observations rub shoulders with poetic ruminations. He calls his music 'silence being distorted', sums up Neil Young of Hollywood Reporter.
The director wanted to make a film which would attempt to interpret music rather than to illustrate it. How about making a film in which the image would be subject to the sound? Solakiewicz’s aim was to provide an answer to the question: what is sound, actually?
15 Corners of the World captures the miracle of Rudnik’s electroacoustic work, which occurred in the era of tape recorder and began fading in the Digital Age. Echoing the style of 60s avant-garde-shorts it encapsulates the spirit of the time. Through tracing the rhythm of architecture, human body movement and throbbing rhythm of nature onscreen we re-discover the surrounding reality of sounds.
15 Corners of the World was made in co-production with culture.pl
The Locarno Film Festival took place on Aug 6 - Aug 16 2014.
Enter the film’s website.
Read more about the film in the review by Hollywood Reporter.
Edited by KD, 18/08/2014