The Sound of Insects - Record of a Mummy

Colour, 35 mm
Switzerland, 2009, 88 min
Section: Documentary Films in Competition

Synopsis

In his new movie, the versatile Swiss filmmaker develops an incredible story which begins with the chance discovery in the middle of the woods of a 40-year-old man’s mummified remains. The dead man’s detailed notes reveal that just a few months previously he decided to commit suicide through self-imposed starvation. As a starting point, the director turned to Until I Am a Mummy, a novel by Japanese writer Masahiko Shimada, which treats actual events drawn from the found text. This evocative reconstruction of the last weeks of a mysterious man’s life contains a summary of Liechti’s typical means of expression. Stylized images – products of the artist’s imagination – accompany the essayistically presented literary work. His never-ending search for originality of form often approaches experimental cinema, but without losing sight of the storyline. For Liechti, "documentariness” is the foundation upon which he builds a fascinating kind of film that is tough to classify.

About the director

Peter Liechti (b. 1951, St. Gallen) studied art history at the University of Zürich (1971-79), and holds a diploma in teaching arts. His film career began in 1986 as a freelance screenwriter, cameraman, and director. His movies have won awards at many festivals (Locarno, Turin, Leipzig, Saarbrücken, Solothurn), and this January the Rotterdam festival organized a retrospective of his work. His road movie for pedestrians, Lucky Jack (Hans im Glück), was screened in the documentary competition at the 2004 KVIFF. Selected filmography: A Trip to the Mountains (Ausflug ins Gebirge, 1986), Kick That Habit (1989), A Hole in the Hat (1991), Martha’s Garden (1997), Namibia Crossings (2004), Hardcore Chambermusic (2006).