A film on mediated realities – humans positioning themselves in urban deserts and entertainment worlds … They talk about feelings of emptiness, disorientation and helplessness overcoming them in the middle of performance-oriented organizations of life.

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interviews | camera work alexandra reill / heather winter
song lyrics | vocals joy uche
soundtrack beesh
editing | concept alexandra reill
production kanonmedia | vienna / croatia / switzerland 2003

An African girl talking about lifestyles in the context of abundances as much as redundances, about the meaning of religion in the context of poverty and consumerism, about the meaning of emotions in the context of isolation and communities, exchange and communication … A girl talking about love and life …

A physicist talking about the relationship of order and chaos, energetic resolutions and genetic diversities, entropic emptiness and the need to compete, conquer and win a civilization has knowing about the fictitious character of media realities, a civilization knowing that over-information and the equalizing of value systems produce indifference, a civilization knowing that it has become redundant itself and fighting extinction …

Associative hearing and seeing, associative perception of dramaturgic contents, of the traces and paths possibly leading to the formation of sensuous ideas, anquors and manifestations …

DESERTS & BACKBONES is a documentary researching the question whether there is a will beyond human will, beyond rational will … Using the method of interviewing in combination with the formal language of audiovisual mixing for the dramaturgical juxtaposition of peoples’ outlooks on life either defined by such imaginations as fate and religion or by self-determination and autonomy …

Hoping to inspire the viewer to find own perspectives and to enhance the presence of a consciousness towards modern life where feets are kept on the ground, where hearts do not get lost in the diversity of fictitious realities, where basic matters are perceived as crucial ones … Whether it is about hunger and wealth or about isolation and empathy …

Blurring lights creating fluid anquors in a world of fast pace and rigid norms … Stones and grains of sand turning into vast oceans of water … filling empty glasses … smelling of fragrant sensuality – in a world having lost its warm smell …

DESERTS & BACKBONES supported by

DESERTS & BACKBONES has been produced with the kind support of the Department of Culture of the City of Vienna.

DESERTS & BACKBONES screenings at

— arena dreiraum sommerfestival / vie / a / 10
— bsa /group of media experts / vie / a / 09
— underdog film festival / vie / a / 07
— nairobi retour / project space / vienna / a / 06
— economy class / nairobi / 06
— HTU cinestudio / vie / a / 05
— kforumvienna / vie / a / 04
— berlinale / media efm stand / berlin / d / 04
— state gallery gradec / zagreb / hr / 04
— humanistische plattform / vie / a / 03
— ST|A|R: azW / muqua / vie / a / 03
— < partly truth > < partly fiction > – 25 j. medienwerkstatt / vie / a / 03
— to.be.continued / vie / a / 03

DESERTS & BACKBONES listed in | featured by

— vidgrids / int / 12
— medienwerkstatt wien | video edition austria release 02. 4. sonic patterns. catalogue / vie / a / 09
— online standard / vie / a / 09
— print standard / vie / a / 09
— puls4 / vie / a / 09
— kalender.esel.at / vie / a / 09
— bsa / vie / 09
— nettime online / int / 09
— classic.rhizome / nyc / us / 07
— rhizome / nyc / us / 07
— friday arts net / i / 07
— htu cinestudio / vie / a / 05
— ST|A|R / vie / a / 03
— get to attack / vie / a / 03
— medienwerkstatt wien / vie / a / 03
— humanistische plattform / vie / a / 03