Darfur documentary will open Almost Cinema

Almost Cinema invites artists who are inspired by cinema, but who refuse to conform to its idiosyncrasies and instead choose to walk off the beaten track. The result is a fascinating balancing act between film, media art, drama and music. After last year's success, Vooruit will again be setting up a video and installation trail which will welcome national and international artists. Apart from that, every evening, we will be serving you films, music documentaries, performances of all sorts, concerts and talks about (almost) cinema. Whether it is plastic arts, music or drama: every art form is somehow connected to cinema. Almost Cinema kicks off on the 9th of October with Sand and Sorrow, a heart-piercing documentary about Darfur. Shocked by the fact that the crisis in Darfur received so little media attention, documentary film maker Paul Freedman (US) decided to make a film about the subject. He chose to use a serene approach: no excessive information, but images that speak volumes and gripping interviews. None other than actor George Clooney (US) lent his voice to Sand and Sorrow while also co-producing. (More on www.sandandsorrow.org) After the screening of the film, Sudanese singer Rasha will take the stage. She grew up in Khartoum and therefore has an insider's view of the situation in Sudan. Fleeing from ethnicity conflicts, she moved to Spain ten years ago. On stage, Rasha uses her powerful voice to mix traditional African music, Arabic poetry and reggae. On Wednesday the 10th of October, the vernissage of the Almost Cinema exhibition trail will take place. The artists presenting their work on the exhibition trail will be shedding new light on the familiar elements of cinema. Gebhard Sengmüller (AT) for example, will cut up a b gangster movie and then stick it back together, making a new, primitive movie. The other works will also give surprising insights into cinema or will simply refer to it. The brand new work by Els Van Riel (BE), 5 screens, brings 16mm projectors to life. Peter William Holden will be making computer controlled umbrellas move to the tune of Singin' in the Rain. In the Vooruit corridors, Julia Willms (AT) will conjure up a trompe l'oeuil, playing with the real and imagined space as if Magritte himself is involved. The Italian collective ZimmerFrei will lead the visitor into a camera obscura, taking him on a fascinating trip to a number of the world's largest cities. Finally, Semiconductor (UK) will be screening their fictional documentary about seismographic disturbances, All the Time in the World.