Documentary Films - Competition 2004 / Die Souvenirs des Herrn X / Austria, Germany 2004
The documentarist discovered sixty 8 mm reels of home movies capturing family celebrations and vacations. Using the footage, he puts together a tribute to these amateur filmmakers and their desire to immortalize the fleeting moments of everyday life.
This feature-length documentary debut by an Austrian director of Iranian birth pays tribute to amateur filmmakers and their desire to immortalize outstanding moments in everyday life. It offers an unpretentious celebration of fleeting moments captured by enthusiastic dreamers who were never lauded by the general public. The symbolic Mr. X, concealed behind meters of footage of family celebrations, vacations, and “dramas” literally put together on hand and knee, represents hundreds of amateur filmmakers and their dreams of making a movie, if only for the pleasure of showing it to friends in their living rooms. Their infectious enthusiasm, which the director demonstrates using sixty 8 mm reels he discovered at a flea market, proves that the word ‘dilettante’ needn’t always be used pejoratively.
100 min / Color, 35 mm
International premiere
Director Arash T. Riahi
/ Screenplay Arash T. Riahi
/ Dir. of Photography Marco F. Zimprich
/ Music Karuan Marouf & Mambo Kurt
/ Editor Arash T. Riahi
/ Producer Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Markus Glaser, Michael Kitzberger, Wolfgang Widerhofer, Peter Stockhaus
/ Production Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion, koprodukce / in coproduction with: Peter Stockhaus Filproduktion
/ Contact Austrian Films, Peter Stockhaus Filproduktion, Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion
www: www.herrX.com
Arash T. Riahi (b. 1972, Iran) has lived in Vienna since 1982. He studied film and art, and worked for ORF/Austrian Broadcasting Network. In 1998 he set up Golden Girls Filmproduction. He has written, directed and edited many award-winning shorts, short documentaries, experimental films and commercials. The Souvenirs of Mr. X is his first feature-length documentary.
Austrian Films
Stiftgasse 6, 1070, Vienna
Austria
Phone: +43 152 633 23
E-mail: [email protected]
Peter Stockhaus Filproduktion
Friedensallee 7, 22765, Hamburg
Germany
Phone: +49 40 391 0963
Fax: +49 40 391 096 50
E-mail: [email protected]
Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion
Hildebrandgasse 26, 1180, Vienna
Austria
Phone: +43 1 403 0162
Fax: +43 1 403 0162
E-mail: [email protected]
Anne Laurent-Delage
Film Institution Rep.
Arash T. Riahi
Film Director, Film Director
Martin Schweighofer
Film Institution Rep.
Peter Stockhaus
Marcus Glaser
Wolfgang Widerhofer
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