Interviewed in Zagreb, 27 September 2014
25 fps Festival, international festival of experimental film and video, as the last film manifestation of a one time vibrant Zagreb Student Centre, celebrated a tenth anniversary in September. As it could have been expected, there was no special or noisy celebration; otherwise, the festival would not last for so many years. However, many good films were shown, some auto referential questions appeared and the guests who had a lot to offer were invited. It was no accident that a famous Austrian filmmaker, Peter Kubelka, was one of them. His packed and very well-received movie lecture, held as part of the Monument Film project, proved why: hardly anyone could remain indifferent to the experiment which involved two radical movies–Arnulf Rainer (1960) and Antiphon (2012) which were shown simultaneously, or to the lecture of the author himself, a fervent supporter of the analogue film strip and its status as a medium of unique characteristics.
In communication with the audience Peter Kubelka is eloquent and picturesque, verbal and nonverbal, strict, but relaxed and witty. This movie is completely harmless. A small engine would make more noise, he said announcing one of the most radical experiments in the history of film, referring to the image and the tone. The audience, already aware of what was going to happen, laughed heartily and applauded. Thanks to the tenth-year anniversary of 25 fps, there were no accidental audience members, nor did anyone come to the festival by chance. This festival raised its audience well. Kubelka, famous for his lectures on metric film, cuisine and other important issues for filmmakers, has always been welcome in Zagreb. His presence at the jubilee anniversary of the festival was tribute to the perseverance and obstinacy of the organizers since they are the most fervent followers of Kubelka’s authentic attitudes: the films were always shown from an original form, radically and persistently. Analog has always been much loved.
ORIS: This is not your first time at the 25fps. The festival is now ten years old, how do you like it?
Kubelka: I do not like festivals; I attend festivals only when those are the only possibility to show my films. This is a superior festival, because it does not feature a lot of films, and it is more a choice in a special direction, which is wonderful. Also, this festival emphasizes avant-garde and analogue cinema, which is the main motif of my work.