26 Feb 2009

Trivial Europe - Five Greatest Cities of the World

TRIVIAL EUROPE
Five Greatest Cities of the World
Documentary, A 2007, 60 min.

What´s the European thing about Europe and how trivial is everyday life? There are lots of stereotypes about each European country. What do these images mean to networked and cultural addicted coevals?

In nighttime walks DIE FABRIKANTEN, an artist collective from Linz, are looking for answers: Equipped with headlamps, residents of Thessaloniki, Novi Sad, Linz, Essen and Liverpool lead us to their favourite places.

The result is a transition of a different kind.

In THESSALONIKI, computer salesman and freelance online journalist Kostas Karderinis leads us to his favourite pastry-shop, ex-highjumper Chrisa Theodoridou to her father´s minigolf course and the architect Eugene Balassis into an occupied university.

In NOVI SAD Zelimir Zilnik, Filip Markovinovic, Vladimir Radisic und Zeljka Jovic tell stories about the day of the Nato-barrage, comets and wine festivals. Two Romanies give an account of their sex- und alcohol conflicts during Ramadam.

The journey through the city of LINZ at night is a mixture of red-hot steel and slightly broken 'Schwedenbomben', rusty transport ships and illuminated architecture. Along with us come Florian Sedmak and Michael Rusam.

The artists Karl-Heinz Mauermann und Johannes Gramm lead us through ESSEN in the German Ruhrpott. We get to know their favourite pitch, the very first Aldi store worldwide and the ugly Porscheplatz, which no longer can be called a square.

In the crack of dawn in LIVERPOOL Tamasine Seibold and her musical saw give a concert. Peter Hagerty adores the sea and the calm. The loud and flashy Liverpool is presented by Roger Hill alias Mandy Romero - Liverpools most famous Drag Queen – one of our nighttime escorts.

CREDITS

Director/Producer: DIE FABRIKANTEN
Gerald Harringer and Wolfgang Preisinger
Editor: Julia Pontiller
Musik: Thomas Reinhart
Camera: Kristaps Epners, Gerald Harringer, Dziugas Katinas, Wolfgang Preisinger,
Michael Rusam, Viktoria Schloegl, Miho Sugita, Gert Hatsukov.
Concept: DIE FABRIKANTEN

REVIEWS

'Your film reminded me very much of something that Serge Daney once said when describing his favorite films, the 'one-of-a-kind' films, as he called them. (...) In true travel, what matters are the magical accidents, the magic of the night, the discoveries, the inexplicable wonders and the wasted time. And your film is one-of-a-kind; it's a true travel, a wasted time. And when I say wasted time, I mean that as the most beautiful compliment that I can really give you.' Jurij Meden, film critic und curator, Slovenia

After the premiere at VIDEOMEDEJA in Novi Sad, Serbia, in November 2007, TRIVIAL EUROPE was on screen at the DIAGONALE 2008, Graz, Austria (competition) and at CROSSING EUROPE 2008, Linz, Austria.

Within the 'Stadtkino' series of Linz09, TRIVIAL EUROPE will be on screen again on March 20th, 2009, 5:30 p.m. at Moviemento3, Linz.

THE IDEA BEHIND

After the book BOTSCHAFT LINZ, the documentary TRIVIAL EUROPE is the second part of a project series about places in Europe. Places with a tale to tell.

Since 1989, the artists and designers DIE FABRIKANTEN put their transboundary projects into effect, be it adventures in communication in everyday life, at the internet or at cultural festivals.

Always tightrope walking between art and reality, communication and culture, they find new crossconnections manifested in corporate designs, rooms, situations, films, communication concepts and communication projects. These contentions guide amongst others to Turkey, Greece, Israel/Palestine, Czech Republic, India, Erbia, United Kingdom, Germany and the USA.