Archive of films Walden / Walden
Switzerland / Austria
2018, 100 min
Section:
Documentary Films - Competition
Year: 2018
Gentle birdsong filters through dense forest vegetation only to be drowned out by the sudden roar of chainsaws. Thus begins a documentary comprising a mere thirteen 360° panning shots, whose uncompromising formal concept places great demands on the patient viewer. But as soon as we align our breathing with the slow rhythm of the shots a surprising odyssey opens out before us of the paradoxical migration of wood from Austrian forests to a secret, far-off destination.
Synopsis
Gentle birdsong filters through dense forest vegetation only to be drowned out by the sudden roar of chainsaws. Thus begins a documentary comprising a mere thirteen 360° panning shots that gradually reveal the environments of carefully selected sites. The uncompromising formal concept, reminiscent of the films in Karlovy Vary’s Imagina section that thwart audience expectations, places great demands on the patient viewer. But as soon as we align our breathing with the slow rhythm of the shots and allow the weight of time to do its work, a surprising odyssey opens out before us of the paradoxical migration of wood from Austrian forests to a secret, far-off destination – a gently ironic reference to the renowned work of Henry David Thoreau.
Martin Horyna
About the director

Daniel Zimmermann (b. 1966, Switzerland). Selected filmography: Bobrennen im Sommer (2000, short), Die 10 Schweizer (2002, short), Lauberhornrennen im Sommer (2006, short), Stick Climbing (2010, short)
Contacts
Beauvoir Films
12 Rue des Deux-Ponts, 1205, Geneva
Switzerland
E-mail: [email protected]
About the film
Color, DCP
World premiere
Section: | Documentary Films - Competition |
---|---|
Director: | Daniel Zimmermann |
Screenplay: | Daniel Zimmermann |
Dir. of Photography: | Gerald Kerkletz |
Editor: | Bernhard Braunstein |
Producer: | Aline Schmid |
Production: | Beauvoir Films |
Contact: | Beauvoir Films |
www: | www.walden-film.com |
Guests

Aline Schmid
Producer

Daniel Zimmermann
Film Director

Gerald Kerkletz
Director of Photography

Bernhard Braunstein
Editor

Res Balzli
Tutor / Trainer