FILM IST. 7–12

Gustav Deutsch's Film ist. 1-6 intrigued MIFF 2000 audiences with its collection of rare and bizarre scientific footage. The follow-up project, Film ist. 7-12, adopts a similar structure of six themed chapters but explores an entirely new realm of lost German silent cinema.

Deutsch's Film ist. projects loosely trace the history and origins of cinema. Where the first looked at the laboratory, the second explores the funfair. It focuses on phenomena such as stop-motion and time lapse photography, slapstick sketches, fantasy, horror and cinematic spectacle. Cliff-hanging escapades and acrobats butt up against unseen reels from jungle exploration, exotic dancers and primitive ceremonial magic. This filmic bag of tricks is set to a score by four contemporary Austrian electronic composers including Mego label artist Christian Fennesz.

Film ist. 7-12 premiered at the 2002 Rotterdam Film Festival where audiences were energised by its exhuberant celebration of the birth of cinema. Deutsch is obviously thrilled by the invention, innovation and sheer daring of these early works and his passion bleeds onto the screen.

Gustav Deutsch (born in Vienna, 1952) has worked in drawing, music, photography and architecture since the 60s. In the 70s he experimented with video before moving to film in 1981. Deutsch has created a vast body of work in the past 20 years including Asuma (1983), Taschenkino (1995) and Mariage Blanc (1996).