MIDDLE OF THE MOMENT
Schweiz / Deutschland 1995 – Director: Nicolas Humbert, Werner Penzel – Original language: English – Subtitles: English – Length: 80 min.
In the middle of life. A fantastic journey through time and space. For over two years, Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel have travelled through Europe and Africa with nomads of the world. They wandered through the South Sahara with a Tuareg tribe, accompanied the circus community on the European journey of the French Cirque O and met the American philosopher and poet Robert Lax on the edge of his nomadic life. All are living a life stripped back to its bare essentials, characterised by an unknown freedom that emanates from every single shot of the film.
Middle of the Moment is a journey into the most elementary cycles of life. Sitting around the fire, sharing food from one cup, the meeting of old acquaintances, the beginning of a life and the approaching end. Shot as a "ciné-poem" by two passionate film nomads, it is a gathering of images and sounds, moments of life, following the free association of the mind. Fred Frith's composition of sounds wonderfully translates a sense of the constant movement of things.
"One moment / passes // another / comes on. // How was / was. // How is // is. / How will be // will be. Was /wasn't. Is / isn't. Will be / won’t." (Robert Lax)
Awards: La Sarraz Award for Innovative Cinema, Switzerland 1995; Diploma of Merit, Film Festival Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic 1995; Public Award, FID Marseille 1995; Best Documentary, Festival dei Popoli, Florence 1995; Hessischer Filmpreis – Best Documentary; Best Cinematography, Film Festival Mediawave Györ, Hungary 1995
Supporter of BEST.DOKS 20/20
Camera: Chilinski. Sound: Jean Vapeur. Editing: Gisela Castronari, Nicolas Humbert, Werner Penzel. Music: Fred Frith. Production: Cinenomad / Balzli & Cie Filmproduction. Producer: Nicolas Humbert, Wener Penzel.
