Sad and Beautiful World: A Film Festival
15 – 24 Nov 2013
Hanoi
From The Onion Cellar:
Inspired by and named after a Sparklehorse song, SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD is an underground film festival that celebrates life in all its hardships and wonders and ‘brief glimpses of beauty’.
We will be screening 13 films spanning various styles, lengths and subject matters: depression, autism, schizophrenia, suicide, natural disasters, uncertainty, death, etcetera. But at the same time, there is, as there will always be, hope, peace, freedom, and love, and beauty.
Sort of like how a musician who shot himself in the heart after suffering from endless bouts of depression was also someone who wrote, in our humble opinion, the most beautiful songs ever – sad songs still, but sad music somehow seems to have an uplifting aspect to it. The comforting knowledge that we are never alone: in a different time and place, someone has lived through similar experiences, and now passes their stories on through artistic creations.
No doubt that was the case with Mark Linkous, his music and words his exorcism, conjuring up surreal imageries that manage to feel personal and strangely universal at the same time: of long-gone childhood, dogs that eat birthday cakes, hair that smells like sunshine, bees who die at sea, skinny wolves, owls, cows, pigs, the moon, horse’s heads, diamond eyes, necklaces of leaves, hearts of darkness…
It is a trap one could fall into, but we are in no way trying to romanticise all the negativity in life. With SAD AND BEAUTIFUL WORLD we hope to make people become more aware of things which maybe they have not really tried to understand. To challenge the taboos, especially the taboos on mental illness, and to help those for whom life has not been exactly easy. It may sound like a horrible cliché (and talking about cliché is also a cliché in itself, so go figure), but one thing we really believe in, is this: arts can heal.
In a way, this is also our exorcism.
LINE-UP
JAPAN IN A DAY
MATTHEW’S LAWS
AS I WAS MOVING AHEAD OCCASIONALLY I SAW BRIEF GLIMPSES OF BEAUTY
IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY
I AM BREATHING
SLEEP FURIOUSLY
GALLIVANT
THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON
SOUND TO MUSIC
ENGLAND YOUR ENGLAND
THE VOYAGERS
Plus a Secret Screening – what will be screened at this event will not be revealed (but believe us, this is an awesome film everyone should see) – info regarding location to be announced.
All films = official Vietnam premieres
Language: All films will be screened with subtitles in Vietnamese and English (whenever original language is not English)
TICKETS / DONATIONS
Individual screenings: 50,000 VND / 20,000 VND (concession for students (both local and international))
Festival pass (entry to all events): 250,000 VND (pre-order here)
