TodaysArt 2016 Film Program

6 films at TodaysArt 2016 that will restore your faith in humanity.

TodaysArt 2016 Film Program

In addition to all of the performances, club nights, installations and interventions, talks and workshops, we’re also presenting an exclusive film program at Filmhuis Den Haag. Displayed on a loop in Zaal 5 on the Friday and Saturday of the festival, the 6 short films included in the program explore the notion of the public and public space in the broadest sense. Whether it’s the reincarnation of a mythological prophetess, a snapshot of Moroccan youths, a dusty drive into the Sinai or drones whizzing overhead, the mix of films by upcoming and emerging filmmakers and artists from the Netherlands and beyond showcases the myriad of ways in which individuals interact with their surrounding public space.

1. Liz Magic Laser – The Thought Leader

Before there was Upworthy and Buzzfeed and IFLScience, before your Facebook feed was an endless stream clickbait hyperbole and #viral content, there was TED. Gleaming the powerful oratory style and format, Liz Magic Laser’s The Thought Leader is a satirical and sinister twist that sees a 10-year-old child cheerfully delivering a dreary monologue about the effects modern life has on the human condition.

2. Randa Maroufi – Le Park

A series of mesmerizing tableaux vivants that look like frozen snapshots and cinematic sculptures, Le Park is a portrait of urban youths in Casablanca. As the camera steadily and ever so slowly pans across their home turf, an abandoned amusement park, Le Park reveals a powerful intersection between public space, identity and social media.

3. Shadi Habib Allah – Dag’aa

Palestinian filmmaker Shadi Habib Allah takes you on an incredible and unimaginable journey of discovery through the heart of the Sinai Peninsula; a dusty drive through an unmapped terrain led by a group of armed Bedouins whose only rule is to remain completely invisible and utterly intangible.

4. Margaret Haines – The Stars Down To Earth

A dystopian vision from the mind of L.A. installation artist and filmmaker, and current Rijksakademie resident Margaret Haines,The Stars Down To Earth draws on sources as varied as Hollywood thrillers, Susan Miller and Chelsea Manning’s letters to reimagine the tragic tale of Apollo and the mythological prophetess Cassandra in modern day Los Angeles.

5. PWR – Foreign Drive

“On the flat surface of the interface, on the thin line where one meets another, where U meet I. The interface is a membrane that permits or prevents passage according to a logic unknown to the user. The hands and eyes of the user are driven to roam over its surface, tracing lines that portray distant algorithms. Infrasonic vibrations disrupt the user’s thoughts, calling for attention and demanding action. The body is shaken by a surge of fear and hope in equal measure. We need this connection – but we also crave isolation. We wish to be apart and a part, inside and outside, all at the same time. The interface is the stage for this drama.”

6. Superflux – Drone Aviary

Imagine a world where drones are as common as birds. Where the skies are dominated by the hum of little propellers whizzing by overhead. Where your every step is accompanied by an unmanned aerial vehicle, observing, recording, analyzing and reporting. And where the collective network they form begins to gain physical autonomy, making decisions about your world and influencing your life in profound but enigmatic ways.

Bonus: Werner Herzog – Lo and Behold

And what a bonus! With his new documentary, Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World, legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog dives into the virtual world, chronicling it from its origins to the outermost reaches. Exploring the digital landscape with the same curiosity and imagination he previously trained on earthly destinations as disparate as the Amazon, the Sahara, the South Pole and the Australian outback, Herzog leads you on a journey that reveals the ways in which the online world has transformed how virtually everything in the real world works.

The TodaysArt 2016 Film program will be screened on a loop in Filmhuis Den Haag’s Zaal 5 on the festival Friday and Saturday (23 + 24 September). Anyone with a valid TodaysArt 2016 ticket can walk in and take in the films at any point during the screening. Check the timetable for detailed screening times.

Please note that Werner Herzog’s Lo and Behold is presented as a partner program and is not freely accessible. TodaysArt 2016 ticket-holders can purchase a discounted (€6.50) ticket for Friday’s 21.45 screening and Saturday’s 19.30 screening at the Filmhuis upon presentation of their TodaysArt 2016 ticket.