On Saturday, 26th April at 5 pm at Dokukino KIC award-winning Slovakian director Peter Kerekes will hold a masterclass titled Blessing the Obstacles.
„My father, the film director Juraj Kerekes, took me as a child to shoot a film about the sculptor Jan Mathé from Košice. The presenter asked him in the studio: “Mr. Mathé, what do your sculptures represent?” The sculptor looked at her and answered quietly: “Nothing.” The camera whirred on and he added, “A sculpture never represents anything—a sculpture expresses.” As a child I didn’t understand this, though my father patiently explained it to me. Twenty years later, it made its way into my films. My films sometimes carry the label “documentary” (I don’t know what to do with it). But I don’t show the audience the reality in front of the camera—I want to show them the reality in my head.“
In the masterclass Kerekes will present three and half different films – 66 seasons (2003), Cooking History (2009), 107 mothers (2021) Second Chance (2014) – each with a distinct approach to reality and its interpretation. He will discuss literary preparation, collaboration with the cinematographer, and the need for sleep in the editing room.
Born in 1973, Košice, Slovakia, Peter Kerekes has directed many award winning documentaries. Although he initially wanted to direct fiction films, his first documentary about the Slovak poet Erik Groch swayed his interest towards this form of film expression. Since 2003, he has been working with the same consolidated creative team: Martin Kollar as DOP, and Marek Sulik as editor. His filmography includes documentaries such as Velvet Terrorists (2013.) and Cooking History (2009).
Admission is free. After the masterclass there will be a screening of the director’s latest film Wishing on a Star (2024).
