Doors 7:30p
Program 8:00p
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Jan 10, 2025 at 7:30 pm
The Space Between
With Paul Heintz
UnionDocs
352 Onderdonk Ave
Ridgewood, NY
We are delighted to welcome multimedia artist Paul Heintz to UnionDocs for an evening of film and conversation, co-presented with The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts!
Paul Heintz’s work straddles the line between documentary and fiction. Realism is frequently questioned by the characters and actors in his films. Rather than imposing a fixed interpretation, he crafts open-ended narratives around societal issues, often exploring themes of authority and submission to power with a detached yet poetic approach.
We’ll be tuning into two incredible films! Nafura delves into the conversations of three friends about the Jeddah Fountain, uncovering deeper reflections on power, prohibition, and the city’s evolving landscape in the face of recent gentrification. In Character, Heintz steps between fiction and reality as he searches for namesakes of Winston Smith, the protagonist of George Orwell’s 1984, intertwining their daily lives with a shared dystopian narrative.
Paul will be in attendance for a conversation following the screening. This will be his first public screening in NYC, don’t miss it! Come through!
Note: On January 9, Paul will present his new work American Dream at The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, where he is currently a resident! The project explores the digital capitalization of the most intimate and unguarded moments of our lives, our sleep.
Program
Nafura
29 mins, France, 2023
Bored one evening, three friends have fun reflecting on the symbolism of the Jeddah fountain in Saudi Arabia. Built by the king in the 1980s, it is considered the highest fountain in the world. Their thoughts on this monument turn into reflections on power, prohibition and the recent gentrification.
Character
39 mins, France, 2022
Filmmaker Paul Heintz sets off in search of Winston Smith. When he publishes a classified advert in the English newspaper The Sun searching for namesakes of the hero of George Orwell’s novel 1984, he causes a collision between fiction and reality. The daily life of these illustrious strangers becomes dystopian, absorbed by the imagination of each and every one of us.
Program Duration: 68 mins
Watch the conversation between Presenter1, Presenter2 and Presenter 3 on the UnionDocs’ Membership hub.
Bios
Paul Heintz develops his work in a mode somewhere between documentary and fiction, where realism is often challenged by the characters and actors themselves. Without imposing interpretation, he weaves stories into a very open narrative around societal issues. The relationship with authority and submission to power are often recurrent themes in his exploration, conducted with a certain detachment and poetic manner. Heintz’ work in object, sound, film and installation has been presented at contemporary art events and film festivals including FID Marseille, IFFR Rotterdam, Visions du Réel, Paris Nuit Blanche and in art centers and museums such as the Centre Pompidou, FRAC Lorraine, FRAC Grand Large and Les Rotondes. He is the winner of the Emerige Revelation 2019, Revelation Livre d’Artiste 2021 and 1% Marché de l’Art 2023 awards.
From the Event
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