Directing
Project for Gallery "Gammel Strand" Copenhagen. A collaboration between painter John Kørner and filmmaker Martin de Thurah.
A series of 8 short films. Each film was inspired by an Edward Hopper painting. The series has been commissioned by Arte France and produced by Didier Jacob, En Haut des Marches. The 8 shorts are 'Next to Last' by Mathieu Amalric with Frederick Wiseman as Edward Hopper, 'The Muse' by Sophie Barthes with Michael Stuhlbarg, 'Hope' by Dominique Blanc with Clemence Poesy, 'First Row Orchestra' by Sophie Fiennes, 'Conference at Night' by French director Valerie Mrejen, 'Rupture' by young animation director Valerie Pirson, 'Berlin Night Window' by German director Hannes Stohr, 'Mountain' by Danish director Martin de Turah.
At times you find yourself on a dark road in a deep black valley. It is hard to orient yourself. You vaguely recall who you are, but it is hard to completely grasp, you have to lay down to dissolve into the ground. We all contain darkness. A door to a strange place, where the world falls apart and becomes unrecognizable. A floaty reality, almost dreamlike. How do we respond when we have to face our own fears and mortality, and is it possible to find tranquility within the world of our nightmares?
A couple and a dog. They live not far from Mexico City. Strange things happen in the house. She is in love. She'd like to be pregnant. He is busy and tired. The woman is undressing inside the house. He falls asleep. She pours wine on his face. A strange visitor dances outside. She stares at us, under the waterfall. They are imagining things. They might be happy in a near future. The film was inspired by a famous Edward Hopper painting, 'Summer evening.'
Late one evening Alex suddenly abandons his girlfriend, Simone, to pursue the beautiful Aimee. In his encounter with Aimee time and place dissolve for him and he becomes a stranger to Simone, to whom he cannot return.
10-year-old Adam is one of few kids left behind, after all the grown-ups have been overwhelmed by fear and hopelessness and left the city. Adam tries to make sense of it all along with his friend Ida, but soon she too is struck by the same symptom of disillusion: her blood turns gray. Determined to put a stop to this madness and bring Ida back to life, Adam leads the children in their struggle to make the city a place worth living in once again.
A 17-year-old boy is living on the fringe of a true perception of reality. Cars pursue him, while a world full of rules and systems asks for his attention. How can he concentrate on his preparations for his french exam when the stuffed animals in his room begin to interfere? And what about Irene who disturbs with her invitations?
An improvised personal project about identity and becoming an adult. A kind of summer diary where the younger sister Maria observes her bigger sister who lives in an unreachable realm of her own. The film has a playful approach to its language and was inspired by the director’s younger brother Christian – who as a child made several little fragmented films while being bored during a summer in the country side. A film about a secret language between sisters, the magic of small moments and naive self discovery.
