Away - another contemplative short

I spent a few weeks at the end of summer in Hungary and shot a contemplative short film. This time the ideal location was at "Római part" just right at the Danube bank at the suburb of Budapest. I got there by boat. The trip lasted approx thirty minutes from the downtown.

The place is a hidden jewel for those who like nature, kayaking. Small traditional open-air restaurants mainly serve fried fish with french fries (not the coated fish and chips), burgers, pancakes and cold draft beers. Runners, cyclists and dog walkers are common visitors at this area. One of the best camping site of Budapest is located within a few hundred meters.

Please click here to watch the film 

Experimental Holocaust film on Girona Film Festival

I'm very pleased to announce that my experimental contemplative short Holocaust film "Fear"was officially selected and became Finalist at the 30th International Girona Film Festival, Catalonia, Spain.

The screening will take place at Cinemes Albeniz in Girona on Friday September 28, 4:00 p.m.

You also can watch my film at Tao-films Vod. Click here 

30th Girona Film Festival Jewish Film

Click here to see the llist of the films screened at 30th Girona Fil Festival in Jewish Film category.   

Message from Kafka

Clouds come and go. Experience to perceive images of animals, faces, or objects. Birds, dragon flies enjoying their freedom above the sky while the rice field is dancing in the wind and a man relaxing in his hammock.
Click here and watch "Message from Kafka" my latest experimental slow cinema.

"You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.

" Franz Kafka

Lily Boy

Watch Lily boy my film on Vimeo for free. 

Through the rain / revealed

Through the rain my short avantgard film has been filmed last month from inside my hotel room in Phnom Penh. It was just a great occasion shooting the monsoon rain via the window. In the past decade Phnom Penh's scenery has changed a lot. Skyscrapers are growing like mushrooms. The city is a bit smog-filled, but the air still much better than in Saigon or Bangkok. The traffic has increased, not to mention the construction noise.

"Through the rain" like almost at all my other films I used no camera movement and extreme long take to highlight the time and timelessness. My films are not only what about you see. You need to be in a certain mood, let's say relaxed, to recognize the beauty of the hidden beast what I call Zen. I just can repeat myself again and again, please don't watch my films as usually you used to watch movies. Watch with your heart and soul and see what untrained eyes and ears can not catch. Learn the film and develop your senses. Learn watching films from the director and the cinematographer point of view. The movies will be more interesting and will open up an extraordinary endless journey.

I know my films are not for everyone. Maybe too philosophical or just too simple or boring to catch the attention of  wider audience. Curators, critics, festivals, museums are not really interested. Maybe they're not even watching because of the specific genre or just simple not get it what the hell is that for?

So here is a non scientific extreme short  explanation via "Through the rain".

For example: if you're recognized the two birds when they flew across in front of  the window, you are on the right path. It looks you have great sense for seeing details without someone call up your attention. ... but did you realized the traffic or when the tuktuk and the cars appeared and disappeared  at the left corner of the screen? .... or the window is divided for three different sections and that you are able to watch three different movies in the same time? You also can follow what's going on off screen, if you're carefully listening the "city-noise". ... and at the end there are rolling rain drops on the window glass (before they landed on the window they traveled approx. two to seven minutes) and new born clouds.

So everything is there, just have to wait and watch. If you have enough time and patience the magic will happen. .... and what about all of this boredom?

It's only about TIME and TIMELESSNESS, LIFE and BEYOND. It's about NOTHING....

It's about ZEN.

I am just framing my friend.

Please click here to watch "Through the rain" one of my experimental contemporary contemplative  slow cinema 

Do small film festivals and under represented filmmakers can catch film critics attentions?

The Bay

Last year I found a unique film festival for slow cinema lovers. It called "Slow Short Film Festival".  I missed the submission deadline but this year I was luckier. A few weeks ago I saw Nadin Mai's (Art of slow cinema, Tao Films Vod) tweet about the festival and decided to submit one of my experimental contemplative short. It wasn't easy to choose among approx the 40 contemplative films (two of them are related to the Holocaust) I shot in the last two years. I chose "The Bay" especially the first episode of the series of 3. I've been filming this episode on Koh Rong Samloem island in Cambodia, deep in the Gulf of Thailand at the beginning of this year. The notification date is July 24. and the event date is September 1. Not sure that my film can arose the jury's interest, but fingers crossed. Good luck for all the participants!

Another films of mine "Sunday of Zen" was screening on the prestigious Cefalu Film Festival in Sicily, Italy just a few days ago. The film was a homage to the Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami who passed last year. The film is very minimalist, a kind of zen film with philosophical meaning. I didn't think about that Sunday of Zen must win any award. I was happy that someone in the jury understand or maybe just liked it and officially selected for screening. Not sure the audience had understood the meaning, but hope at least they enjoyed the play of the dove. Unfortunately there's no any publication on the internet with the names of selected candidates. It's only known the jury selected among 1531 films and chose 100 finalist to award.

As an avantgarde filmmaker I started my "career" in my late forties a few years ago. I started developing my own style based on minimalism and observation. I haven't learnt such things in film school. I had no idea that I'm created the perfect 22 catch for myself. I became addicted by slow cinema slowly but surely. Last year I began shooting a zero budget a feature but lack of time and financials the project has halted. Of course filmmakers especially Chantal Akerman and Jonas Mekas  influenced me. Akerman's Hotel Monterey, Jeanne Dielman or when J Mekas crossing the Brooklyn bridge with his camera was a hit on me. Not to mention Bela Tarr's Damnation and Turin Horse went totally under my skin. Tsai Ming-Liang's Journey to the West and Stray dog's or Wong Kar-Wai in the Mood for Love or Chungking Express, Theo Angelopulos Eternity and a day, Tarkovsky Stalker or Mirror all changed and triggered something in me not to mention Yasajiro Ozu and Abbas Kiarostami's masterpieces.

The question is the same. How to reach the audience and also critics and how to get financial support. Which film festival and what category should I submit my film to be selected and which of my film should I choose? Basically non of my films fit perfectly to film festivals. There are categories for short and experimental films and even for slow cinema, but the genre of my films are somewhere beneath or just really don't know. I call Experimental Contemplative Slow Cinema or Experimental Contemporary Contemplative Slow Cinema my films. Basically I am making experimental contemplative short films. In many cases the whole or the part of the films are based on unexpected occasions but not exclusively. Therefore I used to say "I have the privilege to choose the location (but am I really who choose?), or "Someone Else", "Who is much Greater than me" who directing "my" films (basically directing the Real Life). I am just framing moving images on certain locations at certain times as I used to do it when I'm taking stills. I'm  just a messenger. ....and what is the message?

Ask Bela Tarr, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Tsai Ming-Liang, Jonas Mekas, Lav Diaz, Wong Kar-Wai, Lisandro Alonso, Pedro Costa, or James Benning....

Sometimes we hear but we don't listen. Sometimes we look but we don't see.

Waiting / non narrative experimental slow cinema

My latest film "Waiting" is available to watch on Vimeo here . The stupa and the thousand year old small ancient temples are located at Prasat Preah Enkosei, Siem Reap, Cambodia. There is an elementary school in the yard of the pagoda, but you only hear the voice of children off screen and the cicadas living on the treetops. In my films not only matter what you see, but also an important part what you hear. ....

I attached two of the behind the scene photos and an extra about the location, where I set my camera. You also can see how the temples looks like from the other side.

In the Shadow of Wind

In the Shadow of Wind my latest experimental contemporary contemplative slow cinema is available on Vimeo from today. Click here to watch 

The Cow the Dog and the Crow

My latest short film "The Cow the Dog and the Crow" is available on Vimeo here 

I was filming this beautiful contemplative story in Puok village in Cambodia at the nearby location as I've been shot the The scent of rice. After I finished shooting The scent of rice and took some location pictures, I realized that I locked the ignition key inside my car. Until my wife who was the field producer of this shoot arrived back with the spare key I had time to look after another subject.

I was just such a lucky. There was a lonely house nearby at the edge of rice field with a cow. I thought this is quite interesting and maybe I can shoot another contemplative short until I wait. It was a challenge and just loved every minute. Every moment was a real surprise and at the end I've got a true zen film. Hope you will love it.

The Scent of Rice -Slow Cinema

The Scent of Rice my latest film is available on Vimeo from today. Click here to watch
I'm not sure if you can feel the scent of rice like I felt it during I was filming The scent of Rice but sure you're able to feel both the timelessness and timing while watching my film.

Field producer Sophie N. on location in Puok

Passage

"Passage" my latest experimental contemporary contemplative film is available on Vimeo. Click here 
...and I share a behind the seen picture with you this time. 

The Bay

The first episode of  my experimental contemporary contemplative film "The Bay" is available on Vimeo. Click here to watch . The Bay has totally 3 episodes and was filmed on two beautiful islands in Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Rong and Koh Rong Samloen. 

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

My experimental contemplative film "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" is available on Vimeo. .... and Yes, I borrowed the title from Milan Kundera.

Click here to watch 

Fear - an experimental contemplative Holocaust film

My experimental contemplative Holocaust film is available on Tao Films Vod. You can watch the film's trailer or even the entire film on the website. Click here

The root of Fear

Tao Films Vod just published an article about my short contemplative Holocaust film 'Fear'. I'm revealing some personal staff why important to me to go to Auschwitz and make this film  You can watch the trailer or even the entire film on Tao Films website.

Click here to read the article 

Sunday on Zen screening at Cefalu Film Festival, in Italy

Great news!

My contemplative short film "Sunday of Zen" has been selected to screen at the Cefalù Film Festival in Sicily, Italy! The Festival will be held on May 1, 2018. Stay Tuned!

Middle Way / experimental contemporary contemplative slow film

From today my short film "Middle Way" is available on Vimeo. Click here to watch.  I dedicated this film to Gwendolyn Audrey Foster and Wheeler Winston Dixon for their continued encouragements. They gave me the power and motivation to continue filming and develop my experimental contemporary contemplative slow films.

behind the scenes