Dutch Film at SXSW 2019

_E_ach year in Austin, Texas, the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) brings together the global music industry alongside film and technology professionals to make personal and business connections as well as discover the next generation of talent. This year’s festival will take place March 11-17. Find a full overview of Dutch films below.

Stuffed

“Stuffed” is a documentary feature film about the surprising world of taxidermy. Told through the eyes & hands of acclaimed artists across the world, the film explores this diverse subculture where sculptors must also be scientists, seeing life where others only see death. From an all-female studio in Los Angeles to fine artists in the Netherlands, these passionate experts push creative boundaries. The film highlights a diversity of perspectives including an anatomical sculptor in South Africa & a big game taxidermist in Ohio. And, in an unexpected twist, “Stuffed” reveals the importance of preserving nature, using taxidermy as its unlikely vehicle, and the taxidermist as its wild driver. Click here for more info and screenings.

Ahorse!

We seem to be caught up in a transitional phase, where mankind itself seems to be changing. Driven by a desire for enlightenment, we speed into the future, shaping our world on the wings of our imagination, together with our longtime and loyal friend, a horse!Ahorse! is a titillating journey through the history of human imagination. Seated on a saddle stool, we duck headlong into the pixel soup of our visual culture before emerging again, refreshed and refuelled. Full of new ideas about life, its meaning, and the future. How can we successfully adjust, now that the modern technologies of imagination seem to be taking over? Ahorse! helps us to enjoy the ride, evoking happiness and curiosity. Click here for more info and screenings.

Incitement

Sara’s been abroad for work, and the welcome home dinner her boyfriend Luis just surprised her with has ended with some passionate dessert between the sheets. When she admits that she’s going to have to go back to Paris for more meetings, Luis sees a window of opportunity. He gets a big confession off his chest… with a very peculiar motive. Click here for more info and screenings.

Bellingcat – Truth in a Post-Truth World

A first-hand look into the revolutionary rise of the “citizen investigative journalist” collective known as Bellingcat. Comprised of various distinct personalities from around the globe, Bellingcat is an online association of talented and dedicated truth-seekers utilizing advanced digital research techniques to upend the world of journalism. De facto leader Eliot and his fellow researchers give us exclusive access into their tight-knit world as they demonstrate the unlimited power of open source investigation. In cases ranging from the MH17 disaster to the hidden crimes of the Syrian regime, the group’s power and growing global influence is examined and explored. Click here for more info and screenings.

Sakawa

What human story lies behind the phenomenon of ‘internet fraud’? In Sakawa we meet three Ghanaian youngsters who, out of desperation, turn to internet scamming with the help of black magic. ‘Ama’ is a young mother and a newcomer on the scene. ‘OneDollar’ tries to save the money to travel to Italy. Francis, who is the most experienced of them all, learns the others the tricks of the trade. What is viewed in the West as fraud, is seen by the Sakawa-boys as the exploitation of available resources. These resources come in the form of electronic waste, dumped in Ghana by the West. Click here for more info and screenings.

Symphonic Cinema by Lucas van Woerkum

Symphonic Cinema is an innovative new format, in which classical music masterpieces are visualized into newly created dramafilms. The films are presented in concert halls around the world with live orchestra. Using customised software, filmmaker Lucas van Woerkum follows the conductor and orchestra’s interpretation, matching tempi and dynamics to create a visual layer as he performs as ‘image soloist’. In contrast to the modern ‘film live in concert’ format, the film responds to the music. Conductors and orchestras are free to perform completely unrestricted and interpret the music as they wish, whilst the audience is drawn even deeper into the stories of the music. Symphonic Cinema debuted in 2010, and in 2015 the first feature-length production (Stravinsky The Firebird) received five sell-out performances at the Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, after which the film toured around the world with highlights in London with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and in Beijing at the National Center for the Performing Arts. Click here for more info and screenings.

A Cure for Fear

Neuroscientist Dr. Merel Kindt has discovered a cure for phobias using common medication. It’s a brief but intense exposure to the patient’s fear, followed by taking a single pill. 24 hours later, the fear is gone. From animal phobias to PTSD, the potential impact is both profound and dazzlingly complex. A CURE FOR FEAR goes inside Dr. Kindt’s radical treatments as she explores the ethically treacherous grounds of curing our most human ailment. Click here for more info and screenings.

Any One Of Us

When professional mountain biker Paul Basagoitia suffers a devastating spinal cord injury (SCI), his life is changed in an instant. Discovering that he’s become paralyzed, Paul begins a grueling battle against his own body and mind, in the hope of one day being able to walk again. His excruciating recovery unfolds in real time through raw, intimate footage— much of which was filmed by Paul himself—as we see him fight through the agonies of an unpredictable journey and uncertain future. A chorus of other diverse SCI survivors weaves through the film, shining light on the struggles that Paul now faces. After years of relentless hard work, intense physical therapy, and even controversial stem cell treatments, Paul slowly begins to build a new life for himself. Any One of Us shows how lives can change forever in the blink of an eye— and the resilience, grit, and determination it takes to stay open to life’s possibilities, even under the most trying of circumstances. Click here for more info and screenings.

Diorama No.4 : Die Fernweh Oper

In Die Fernweh Oper you will visit a perpetual opera performed by a star in the form of a 50 ft tall opera singer named Asteria, who sings especially for you and about your foolish love for her. Just as with the stars you see at night, she has already died light years ago and what you see of her is her last light that reaches your eyes. Die Fernweh Oper consists of three scenes. Scene 1 will allow you to listen to Asteria sing for you. In scene 2 you will visit Asteria’s abandoned dressing room in which small porcelain statues will sing a chorale for you. In scene 3 you will visit the custodian whose job it is to replace the stars who have died, among which is Asteria. Click here for more info and screenings.