Cornerhouse are pleased to welcome acclaimed director, writer and artist Andrew Kötting for an introduction and post-screening Q&A chaired by Programme and Engagement Director, Sarah Perks.
A new film by Kötting is cause for celebration, and his latest documentary This Our Still Life (GB 2011/57 mins) is an eccentric and nostalgic portrait of his daughter, Eden, as a young woman in their tumbledown Pyrenean farmhouse. Seen through the eyes of the family that have lived there on and off for more than 20 years, we follow Eden’s day-to-day life – watching her paint still lifes and singing along to the radio as the seasons ebb and flow around her. The film celebrates the home-movie aesthetic, exploring themes of isolation and the animistic nature of the great out-of-doors. Reminiscent of Stan Brakhage’s Dog Star Man, this lo-fi marvel features music by Scanner’s Robin Rimbaud alongside a whole plethora of cut-ups and voices from the filmmakers sound archive.
Seen very much as a companion piece to This Our Still Life, Kötting’s 1990 short film, Hoi Polloi (GB 1990/10 mins) will accompany the feature screening. An early super 8, part home movie part diary of Kötting’s life in the French Pyrenees Hoi Polloi follows his young daughter Eden and the various family members that drift in and out of her consciousness or mindscape. The film also features music by David Burnand and the voice of Kötting’s grandmother Gladys.
This is a must-attend event for fans of Kötting, new British cinema and documentary filmmaking.
Reviews
No one else makes magical films like Andrew Kötting
Francine Stock, BBC Radio 4 Film Programme
A mesmerising blend of lyrical intensity and freewheeling impressions… there is no one quite like him (Kötting) in cinema
Sight & Sound (Film of the month)
Profoundly moving and affecting work… intriguing, innovative and undoubtedly one of the director’s very finest creations… very strongly recommended
Little White Lies
Endlessly engaging and irresistibly inspiring… infectious and uplifting****
Empire online