Documentary film

As a central part of Import Export three documentary film essays are being developed under the project headlines of: moving people, moving concepts, moving goods. The films are produced by filmmakers from the Import Export project network: Madhusree Dutta / Philip Scheffner (India), Michael Woergoetter (Austria), Merle Kroeger / Dorothee Wenner (Germany). All films are being presented within the film programme in each of the cities and then brought out on DVD together with the publication.

VIENNA CHAPTER: Kuenstlerhaus, Vienna
May 20th, 2005
6.30 pm

Film / Film Lecture:
The Animal Next To Us

Script & Director: Michael Woergoetter
India/Europe 2005, Video, 70 min, Director of Photography: Alexander Binder, Michael Woergoetter, Ritesh Shrivastava, Sound: Peter Janececk, Cutter: Elke Groen, Music: Manfred Hofer

"To believe that cows like most to eat grass, perhaps also means to believe that stray dogs prefer to be shot." At least this is what some say. Others say: "Hitler was a vegetarian too." Or: "What they call Nirvana, is what we call depression." Without any doubt a scenic nature film. It's all about discipline and compassion, about longing and disgust, and how much time is left for things like this anyway. Clips of inofficial excerpts of studio-theatre kind Indian-European monologues tossed amongst splendid exteriors. Everything here is played off the cushion and dealt with on the back of completely innocent animals.

Michael Woergoetter is a filmmaker, artist and curator based in Vienna. Founder of the art and theory network DeEgo.

Respondents (Film lecture): Shantanu Lodh, artist (New Delhi) and Christiane Hartnack, deputy head of the department of cultural studies Donau University Krems (Vienna)