09/08

Wim Catrysse - 'Outpost' (2018, 34’)

With a shimmering shot of a helicopter landing, we arrive in an isolated Russian community of miners in snowy Barentsburg. Even though mining has become less and less profitable in recent years, Russia is keen to maintain its presence because of the geopolitical and strategic importance of this Arctic archipelago. ‘Outpost’ offers a dark perspective on a community that seems to have arrived at a terminal stage of an industry, en route to total exhaustion.

The Chilean director Carlos Klein portrays the much-acclaimed Russian director Victor Kossakovsky during the shooting of  his documentary 'Vivan las antípodas'.  ‘Where the condors fly’ is a film in which Klein - in confrontation with his own creative process- searches for the roots of his passion for film making. It is certainly my fascination for Kossakovsky’s films that brought me to this documentary. Furthermore, it is the conflict with the crisis-element that is not strange to me. To quote Kossakovsky: “Doubts are crucial for making art".

Next ︎︎︎