Mundane situations with subtle transcendental poetic visual

After 16 years the Russian documentarian Victor Kossakovsky, who is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding contemporary filmmakers, returned to Jihlava as the leader of the Ex Oriente Film Workshop and as a jury member for the festival’s competitive Opus Bonum section. This director gained international renown thanks to his film The Belovs (1993), which has since achieved cult status. He has the justifiable reputation as a filmmaker who not only is able to capture mundane situations with subtle transcendental poetic visual and audio elements but also has an innate talent for composition, internal rhythm, and drama within individual scenes. In his open Masterclass, Kossakovsky gave the participants insight into the principles of his work and sources of inspiration, which, in addition to the magic of everyday life, he also finds in the visual arts, poetry and classical literature. The lecture was preceded by a screening of his film ¡Vivan las Antipodas! (2011).