Olá a todos
As promised, today we reveal the programme for the first edition of SONICA EKRANO - Documentary film & the musical fringes, which will take place between the 9th and 18th of September in Barreiro and Baixa da Banheira (Moita Municipality).
This new festival, dedicated to the music, musicians, sounds and movements at the edges of massification and popularity, is a new space to provide the opportunity to watch cinematic works which remain (even in an age of digital platforms with on-demand content) hard to access, contributing to an increased audiovisual inclusiveness, striving to present a diversity of geographies and strike a balance between historical perspective and contemporary narratives.
Its first edition presents thirteen films, six of them national premieres, namely: Acid Mothers Reynols: Live and Beyond, by Alejandro Maly, which focuses on the Japanese band Acid Mothers Temple and the Argentinian Reynols who came together in 2017, in Buenos Aires, to create a joint record and concert; Voice of the Eagle: The Enigma of Robbie Basho, by Liam Barker, about the unusual and extraordinary life of the north-american guitarist and composer Robbie Basho; The Albatross Around My Neck: Retracing Echoes of Loss Between Lucknow and Berlin, by Markus Schlaffkre, which presents us with Irfan Khan, one of the masters of the sarod, a string instrument part of the Hindustani musical tradition; Crestone, by Marnie Ellen Hertzler, which takes us to a deserted village in Colorado, where a micro-comunity of rappers lives in isolation, while sharing their music with the outside world through the Soundcloud online platform; Extreme Nation, by Roy Dipankar, a voyage through the indian subcontinent in search of the histories of the extreme mental community and subculture; and Delia Derbyshire: The Myths and Legendary Tapes, by Caroline Catz, a mix of documentary and biopic which portrays the personality and the precious legacy of one of electronic music's pioneers, the British composer Delia Derbyshire, whose career, while forever connected to the theme of the Doctor Who series, which she composed in 1963, goes far beyond it.
Besides this film dedicated to Delia Derbyshire, two other documentaries presented at SONICA EKRANO pay tribute to the recent wave of rediscovery of the pioneer women in electronic music. One of them is Sisters with Transistors, by Lisa Rovner, about the work and genius of the many women at the forefront of electronic music since its beginnings: Clara Rockmore, Daphne Oram, Bebe Barron, Maryanne Amacher, Pauline Oliveros, Wendy Carlos, Eliane Radigue and Laurie Spiegel. The other is Suzanne Ciani: A Life in Waves, by Brett Whitcomb, about the life and innovations developed by north-american artist Suzanne Ciani, and the way in which, starting from a classical music education, she became financially independent by creating music and sound for the world of advertising, using it as a canvas for exploration and revolutionary discoveries.
Portugal is also represented at the festival by two films: SOA, by Raquel Castro, which emerged from an investigation by the director into sound and soundscapes, silence and noise in all of the sound spectrum and its relation with those who hear them; and Caos e Afinidade, by Pedro Gonçalves, which dives into the world of improvised music in Portugal, whose centre is the Irreal Bar in Lisbon, and features the participation of names like Gabriel Ferrandini, Adriana Sá, Carlos Zíngaro and Luís Lopes. Both directors will be present at the sessions.
Wrapping up the programme for this first edition of SONICA EKRANO are the films Swans – Where Does a Body End?, by Marco Porsia, an extraordinary portrait of Michael Gira's Swans, who have built one of the most unique careers in modern rock music; Conny Plank: The Potential of Noise, by Reto Caduff and Stephan Plank, about one of the pioneers of krautrock and electronic pop, Conny Plank, who had a direct influence on bands and artists such as Neu!, Brian Eno, David Bowie, Ultravox or Eurythmics; and That Pärt Feeling: The Universe of Arvo Pärt, by Paul Hegeman, dedicated to the Estonian Arvo Pärt, probably the most celebrated living composer of our era.
These sessions will take place the the José Manuel Figueiredo Cultural Forum (9 to 12 September), the Barreiro Municipal Library (13 to 16 September) and the Augusto Cabrita Municipal Auditorium (17 and 18 September), and the tickets for the sessions at these last two venues are already on sale, while tickets for the sessions between the 9th and 12th will be available soon.
Stay tuned to all the news regarding the festival by following the festival's official website or its social media pages at facebook.com/sonicaekrano and instagram.com/sonicaekrano.
SONICA EKRANO is organized by OUT.RA – Associação Cultural, with co-financing by ICA, in partnership with the Barreiro and Moita municipalities and support by the Transportes Coletivos do Barreiro and Fórum Barreiro.