Cinema with soul
Members of the Remodernist Film Movement unite to create a feature film
If you have ever felt that modern Hollywood cinema has no soul, you may be interested in the work of Jesse Richards, co-founder of the Remodernist film movement.
This film movement recalls art movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries which saw artists attempting to strive toward artistic freedom and authenticity.
"You hear it everywhere - people saying that today's movies are full of lies, that people are afraid to make anything authentic. It's time for cinema to get real again," Richards says.
Richards has written a 15-point ‘Remodernist Film Manifesto' which forms the basis of a compilation feature film he is currently making with other members of the movement across the globe. The joint project aims at counteracting the current trend of superficiality they believe to be running through world cinema.
Filmmakers from the United States, Holland, Ireland, and Iran have signed on to contribute a 10-minute piece to the compilation. They include Dean Kavanagh, Rouzbeh Rashidi, Roy Rezaali, Jesse Richards, Peter Rinaldi, Kate Shults, and Harris Smith.
Richards believes that the ‘Remodernist Film Manifesto' differs from the codes that define other film movements in that it articulates a collection of ideas, rather than a checklist of rules that must be followed precisely.
"The ideas expressed in the manifesto are meant to stir our true selves up and into the work. Once we've reached our true selves, we can move out of hidden conformity and create films that are satisfying to make and to watch," Richards explains.
While the ideas espoused by Richards have been criticised by some, New York filmmaker Peter Rinaldi asserts this is not a movement for the sake of one. "This is not a publicity stunt to garner attention for the contributing filmmakers. Being a Remodernist filmmaker isn't advantageous, from a career standpoint.
"These artists have responded to the ideas in the manifesto because there has been, and continues to be, a starvation happening in the film world, a desire for deeper, more meaningful, personal, and personally spiritual films," Rinaldi says.
The feature is set to premiere in New York, December 2010.
For more information, visit Jesse Richard's page here.
Photo credit: Shooting at the Moon, 10 min. directed by Jesse Richards and Nicholas Watson, 2003.
