Commissioned by
Foam
In collaboration with
De Balie & film programmer Christian Pazzaglia
Date:
Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4. Thursday 5 and Friday 6 September 2013
Tuesday 3 until Friday 6 September Foam & De Balie will be presenting a special series of films against the background of Infidel, an exhibition of works by Tim Hetherington (1970-2011, UK). Hetherington lost his life in tragic circumstances on 20 April 2011 while working in Libya. His interest was in the mutual bonds between soldiers in times of war. “It was all about the men. I didn’t want to make out that this […] was about the war in Afghanistan itself. It was a conscious decision, a response to the experience of the soldier. It is about brotherhood.” (Tim Hetherington)
The four films
Which Way Is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Times of Tim Hetherington tells the story of the life and the photographic vision of Tim Hetherington himself. In Full Battle Rattle we see how American soldiers prepare themselves for war in training camps in the US. In De Uitverkorenen (The Chosen), documentary-maker Geertjan Lassche gives us an insight into relationships within the Marine Corps. In Restrepo we follow a platoon of American soldiers during their work in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley. This film by Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2011.
Each film showing will begin with a brief introduction by a specialist guest speaker. The series has been organised by Foam & De Balie in collaboration with film programmer Christian Pazzaglia.
Programme:
Tuesday 3 September – Which Way Is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Times of Tim Hetherington (2013, 79 min). Time: 19.30h
Film: Which Way Is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Times of Tim Hetheringtonis a portrait of Tim Hetherington created by Director Sebastian Junger. Junger previously co-directed the Oscar-nominated film Restrepo with Hetherington. In the documentary Junger traces Hetherington’s work in a number of war zones and shows how he transcended the boundaries of conflict photography. Junger combines images of Hetherington at work with moving interviews with his family, friends and colleagues, providing a superb insight into his friend’s working methods.
Guest speaker: Claudia Hinterseer (NL, 1975) is a freelance photography professional. She studied visual anthropology, established the NOOR photographic agency in 2007 and worked for six years for World Press Photo.
Wednesday 4 September – Full Battle Rattle (2007, 85 min). Time: 20.00h
Film: Full Battle Rattle (directed by Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss) tells the bizarre tale of a real war and a sham city. In the middle of the Mojave Desert the American army have created a “virtual Iraq”. This vast and expensive project is intended to simulate an urban conflict environment. As part of their training, army units spend three weeks in the simulation before they are sent out to the real Iraq. Full Battle Rattle follows soldiers as they play a succession of different roles during this period spent in the alienating fictitious environment. As viewers we follow the characters from the moment when they are allocated their role through to their stage-managed “death”, feeling ourselves tossed back and forth between fact and fiction.
Guest speaker: Patricia Pisters is professor of Media and Film studies at the University of Amsterdam.
Thursday 5 September – De Uitverkorenen (2012, 90 min). Time: 20.00h
Film: Documentary maker and journalist Geertjan Lassche spent a year with the Marine Corps. In De Uitverkorenen he presents us with a startling insight into the largest elite unit in the Dutch armed forces. Every recruit who completes his training as a Marine must be willing to sacrifice himself for a comrade. During the documentary we experience the stress this imposes on the young men, combined with the constant verbal and physical pressure from the instructors. For a period of nine months the camera records the process whereby recruits either break down or triumph over themselves.
Guest speaker: Geertjan Lassche (1976) is an investigatory journalist and documentary-maker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8oL-CVFDE0
Friday 6 September – Restrepo (2010, 93 min). Time: 20.00h
Film: Restrepo is an Oscar-nominated documentary by Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger. In this film we follow a platoon of American soldiers posted to the Korengal Valley in Afghanistan, focusing on a remote outpost manned by fifteen soldiers. The outpost is named Restrepo after a platoon doctor who perished in the war. Restrepo is regarded as one of the most dangerous locations occupied by the American army. The film is completely experimental: the cameras never leave the valley and there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only objective is to give viewers the feeling that they have spent ninety minutes in the camp.
Guest speaker: Kim Knoppers (1976) is a curator at Foam. Knoppers worked closely with the Tim Hetherington Estate when putting together the Infidel exhibition.