DC Environmental Film Festival
Germany, 2016, 93 min., Director: Philip Scheffner
Introduced by
Amanda Sheffer, German professor, The Catholic University of America.
Out in the Mediterranean Sea, a few dozen miles off the Spanish coast, the blurred silhouette of a refugee boat is visible. Seen by passengers on the cruise liner Adventures of the Seas, the frail little skiff full of people drifts in the distance. An amateur video made by one of the cruise ship passengers captures how misfortune takes its course. The camera zooms in and out but the scenario remains indistinct.
Using a few minutes of this eyewitness video, the German director
Philip Scheffner created his film
Havarie. By slowing down the blurred recording and stretching each sequence in time, the direness of the situation gains sharpness. The accompanying soundtrack offers an ambitiously textured, multilingual account of the historical and cultural forces that gave rise to this confluence of participants and witnesses of this moment. Scheffner’s film allows the viewer to step back and discover the full complexity, and tragedy, associated with a brief picture caught at sea.
No reservations necessary. First come, first served.
Presented as part of the 25th annual DC Environmental Film Festival (DCEFF), which takes place March 14-26, presenting more than 150 environmentally-themed films. Reaching an audience of over 27,000, the DCEFF plays a central role in making relevant themes visible. The festival’s aim is to advance the public’s understanding of the environment and to inspire action, through the power of film.
In cooperation with the New York University Washington, DC.
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