Luminous Void: Docudrama
Director: Rouzbeh Rashidi · Year: 2019 · Duration: 71 min · Production: Experimental Film Society
Synopsis
Luminous Void: Docudrama stands in a league of its own among documentaries. It begins with the peculiar rites and fantasies of a collective of filmmakers operating under the Experimental Film Society's banner before spiralling into a manifesto of luminescence and resonance. This mesmerizing journey, which views cinema as a cosmic ritual intertwined with erotic delirium, also serves as an unconventional tribute to the art of filmmaking. Rouzbeh Rashidi's elaborate visual style sets forth visionary scenes that reimagine cinematic enchantment as a feverish phantasmagoria.
Director’s statement
Michael Higgins, Maximilian Le Cain, Jann Clavadetscher, Atoosa Pour Hosseini, Vicky Langan, Cillian Roche, Caoimhe Lavelle, John Murphy, Floriana Mancuso, Iva Kozomara, Julia Gelezova, Suzanne Walsh, Xiao Lan Jiao, Klara McDonnell.
Jann Clavadetscher, Michael Higgins, Vicky Langan, Maximilian Le Cain, Atoosa Pour Hosseini, Rouzbeh Rashidi.
As 2020 approached, a momentous year that marked the 20th anniversary of the Experimental Film Society (EFS), my colleagues and I concluded our work on an ambitious project, Luminous Void: Docudrama (2019). This film was the product of my profound desire to encapsulate and vividly portray EFS's quintessential spirit and ethos.
Our creation can be described as a cosmic carnival, a whirlwind of visionary delirium and erotic obsession. It invokes a realm that is as formally challenging as it is luxuriously secluded, resembling Kenneth Anger's pioneering work, Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome (1954).
Credits
- Conceived: Jann Clavadetscher, Michael Higgins, Vicky Langan, Maximilian Le Cain, Atoosa Pour Hosseini, Rouzbeh Rashidi.
- Producers: Rouzbeh Rashidi and Atoosa Pour Hosseini.
- Music: Cinema Cyanide.
- Additional Sound Recording: Oli Ryan.