 28/12/1993 |
Film club 'The Evil Eye' turns off the lights
"Het Kwade Oog", Antwerp's "first" and "last" autonomous film club, closes its doors tonight. "Enough is enough, and the role we played can now be taken over without any problems by the new visual arts center," say the organizers. "However, we all have our own reasons for stopping," says Bert Beyens, an initiator from the very beginning. "Het Kwade Oog" was founded about five years ago by eight film enthusiasts out of dissatisfaction with the cinema situation in Antwerp. The largest Flemish city threatened to bog down into a barren desert in terms of cinema. Cinemas were closing their doors. The "Filmhuis" had bled dry after a sad death struggle, and Ciné Cartoons, the only remaining alternative, could not compensate for the disappearance of the Filmhuis. That was not its role, however. "Het Kwade Oog" programmed films that could not be seen in cinemas or on television. The combination of various, often very disparate films within a program regularly resulted in fascinating confrontations. This conscious search for connections grew into the trademark of "Het Kwade Oog." Often, the filmmakers were present on the evening of the screening, or the films were introduced by guest speakers. "Het Kwade Oog" fulfilled its role as a classic film club. completely. It became a success, but not an unqualified one. The programming was too idiosyncratic and too pure for that. In the first year, exclusively Belgian avant-garde work was even screened: De Keukelaire ("The Evil Eye"), Mark J. Ghens, Olivier Smolders, Marcel Mariën. Later, they also looked beyond the borders: Paradjanov, Jonas Mekas, Yevgeny Yufit, Vertov, the Vienna Actionists, Maya Deren, Hanoun, and others. The list is long and impressive. Especially in the first few years, the social aspect was an important facet. "The Evil Eye" became a social event. A meeting place that was not an obvious choice. The "after-cinema" regularly lasted longer than the screening itself. After countless wanderings to various locations—also an expression of the lamentable film situation in Antwerp—"The Evil Eye" found a home early this year in the new screening room of the Beeldcentrum on the Meir. Thus, an end came to a An odyssey in which we sometimes had to move from one venue to another multiple times during a single season. "In recent years, we lost the connection with the audience," says Bert Beyens. "While we, as amateur programmers, found that very enjoyable. It started to become more anonymous. But we are not stopping because there is a lack of response. Attendance has always been very good. We naturally hope that many of the things we did with 'Het Kwade Oog' will continue, in part, in the programming of the Beeldcentrum. Five years ago, we were in a desert. The situation has changed somewhat now, however. We now know that the Beeldcentrum can continue operating, and it would be illogical for 'Het Kwade Oog' to continue. What we presented can be accommodated by the Beeldcentrum without any problems." One might assume that the situation after Antwerp 93 would be somewhat better." With tonight's final screening, the theme of confrontation takes center stage once again. In the first part, work by Eddy Nolf, Annemie Van Kerckhoven, and Danny Devos ("39 Steps", Super 8 and live act), and Bert Beyens ("Cinefilia Omnivorans" & Kamera-kussen") will be shown. In the second part, "Number 12" by Harry Smith and "Film" by Samuel Beckett will be screened. A unique film to celebrate the end of a unique film club in a fitting manner. (GG) "The Evil Eye". The final screening on Tuesday, December 28. Screening starts at 8 p.m. at Eldorado, Meir 20, Antwerp. Information: Eldorado 03/233.85.71 | |
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Guy Goethals in De Morgen | ||