Fantastic weekend linking film to food and back to film again, all with a Eastern European twist.
Within the documentary, Across the Borders, and Peter Kerekes’ sketch on Slovakia, there is a line from a character, “right now I am sitting in a boat,” which makes us as the viewer disengage from the film for a brief millisecond to consider that we too are sitting on a boat, The Floating Cinema in fact, watching these de-saturated images but rich, arduousinsights to Eastern European life, and humour.
Aside from the novel experience of consuming a documentary on a barge boat The Up Project and The Floating Cinema prove that they can weave together a diverse programme which fully engages with a wide variety of senses, as the Open Air Weekender West witnesses a rich Eastern European influence and humour lacing the weekend.
First on Saturday’s bill was Peter Kerekes’ wonderfully shot Cooking History, crafting together the marvellous stories of many who cooked for those during war times, and not always certainly in the most obvious and conventional sense. The certainly added subtext and new dimensions to the whole idea and concept of cooking, as this was often the fuel for the troops during eras of conflict.
The documentation of the Jew who volunteered himself ostensibly to bake the bread in the concentration camp alluding to an eagerness to volunteer and thus save himself, cunningly preparing poisoned bread for the Germans in his camp, was fascinating, capturing the attention of all on that barge. Highlighting how food, cooking could also unequivocally be used as a weapon against the enemy in in war.
Following this illuminating documentary, a workshop on cooking; the documentary director in actual fact, alongside his daughter and a local London chef provide a master-class on making Hungarian goulash. Incredulous initially at this random addition to the progamme and how it would fit in a two-day curation of Eastern-European cinema, I was taken aback by the interaction from the audience, commenting both on documentary and cooking, organically linking the two, omitting this requirement from the organisers.
Incredibly comical and entertaining for the audience, with tongue-in-cheek references from the director to film making whilst prepping and cooking the food, we were generously offered some Czech Slivovitz from a couple that were working in conjunction with the Floating Cinema from an Eastern European film festival. Kerekes would almost compare the art of cooking to that of filmmaking, reminding the audience of the difficulties in independent filmmaking that requires skill and talent but does not necessarily get the distribution deals and access. The references were almost too much to bear at times, much like the excess of salt thrown into the goulash.
Tastebuds aside, this workshop did keep the audience informed and entertained with the director being fired several questions, much of which inspired rather cultural debate. And who can knock the free food, particularly some comforting Hungarian goulash and plum-favoured Czech brandy. All in all, it was an interesting insight into the gourmet of the Eastern side of Europe, one which held our interest and kept it interactive. There was not a single moment that seemed to be held to a moment’s whisper, let alone silence.
Sunday’s programme involved a film-making workshop on the boat, which considered the experimental documentary, analysing the techniques used, particularly in relation to narrative structure. Andrea Slovakova spoke to me briefly about her keen interest in the formation of documentary filmmaking, particularly the more avant-garde, being a Jihlava IDFF programmer of experimental film. As such she took on board a few suggestions of mine from this side of the continent that she may wish to scan, before popping my head back into the barge to indulge in yet more work by documentarian Kerekes . Like tucking into the Slivovitz, a fruity, playful sashay lingered long after the last film had faded, wiping away my reticent reservations.
For more information on The Floating Cinema and it’s upcoming events see here.
