Memento Mori
Short art film
Memento Mori is inspired by the world-renowned photographer Roger Ballen who is known from his perplexing, gloomy black-and-white portraits of marginalized South Africans. The film follows in Ballen’s footsteps with living picture: disturbing psychological studies of humans interacting in isolated and alienating environments. The viewer is left guessing about this world and in the process to question their own psyches, the dark and even the lighter side.
Images with fixed frames, contrast black-and-white and strong emphasis on the composition. Movements are generally minimal and repetitive. The unusual square format is yet another limitation of the world of the people portrayed, who live between bare walls and floors, with blankets that are too short and clothes that are scarce.
Ballen’s photographs are included in the collections of museums in New York, Paris, London, and Amsterdam. He is widely considered to be one
of the most important photographers of our time. www.rogerballen.com
See our other collaboration: the documentary ‘Selportrait, Roger Ballen, and ‘The Asylum’, and ‘Unleashed.’
2005, 16 mm film, 15 min. No dialogue, no sub -titles
Producer, director Saskia Vredeveld
Photography Melle van Essen
Sound Design & editing Jandries Groenendijk
Creative consultant Roger Ballen
Financed by the Dutch Film Fund and Frans Hals Museum.
Dutch Film Festival, National and International museums and festivals.