MAMA SUPERFREAK
14 minutes, HD, 2009
Dutch, English, French subtitled
with Viviane De Muynck
Production : AnotherFillm
Distribution : Filmbank
Short synopsis
In one long shot this adaptation of La Mamma Fricchettona, a monologue by Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo, shows Viviane De Muynck in a humorous elucidation of a woman’ s odyssey from doting motherhood to a state of independence whilst addressing an invisible and anonymous man. In an ambiance of a warehouse filled with white sacks the protagonist vociferously relates her non-existent relationship to husband and child and her escape to the alternative underground of squatters and punks, who are more of a family to her than her own brood.
Short description of image and choreography
The set can best be described as a landscape of huge tires, big bags filled with grained stuff and within that monumental arrangement, a couple of women. Towards the end of the film, when Mama (Viviane De Muynck) reflects on her present situation in life, it starts to snow. The women, contemporaries of Mama, stand within the set at an indicated place, present and not accessible. The only man in this landscape, whom Mama does address, remains invisible. The film has been shot from 1 camera standpoint in 1 only shot. The actress is the driving force of the action together with the sliding tone of light and the long camera-rider, which as it were, passes the scene. The particular realism in which these women live, functions as being an independent character in the total of the cinematographic framework.
General remark on this film
This production balances on the disciplines cinema and theatre, but in the end is a very cinematographic image. Where you could speak of surrealism, in the film MAMMA SUPERFREAK it is a so-called `normal’ surrealism like in the films of e.g. Louis Bunuel, where one recognizes immediately the realism of the film and one not directly makes a comparison with daily reality.
Viviane De Muynck (leading role)
Viviane De Muynck is one of the main actresses in the Dutch language area and is also admired abroad. She studied stage on the academy of Brussels. In 1987, she received the ’ Theo d’ Or’ for her role of Martha in Who’ s Afraid or Virginia Woolf?. Afterwards she is connected with theatre company Discordia. She is guest artist at the Wooster Group. Viviane De Muynck cooperates with musicians of i.e. La Trahison Orale, the Schönberg Ensemble, Schiarrino, Neue Musik Berlin and a lot of more. She was twice nominated for the ‘Gouden Kalf’ on the film festival of Utrecht. _Viviane De _ Muynck is internationally gladly seen as a guest teacher in theatre training and - workshops. Moreover she is also working as a director in Germany. Since the opera Orfeo she is acting regularly with the Needcompany in the productions of Jan Lauwers.
Anotherfilm (production)
Anotherfilm is initially the `headroom’ for development of scenario and films by Bea de Visser and serves as a tool for all her film projects. End 2005 Anotherfilm (together with Hans Eijses) develops into a small production company and it has the intention to connect and cooperate as (co)producer in realisation of independent artistic films, theatre/film scenography and film installations. (recent the feature film by Ben van Lieshout, ‘The Muse’ in cooperation with Van Lieshout Film Productions. In development ‘A Kronstadt Tale’ by Ben van Lieshout in cooperation with Van Lieshout Film Productions and ‘Cold’ a new film by Bea de Visser.
visiter le site de Anotherfilm
Festivals
Osnabrück European Media Art Festival EMAF 09 - World Premiere
Oberhausen International Short Film Festival 09 - International Competition
Trenčín Art Film Fest 09
Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival 09
Strasbourg International Film Festival 09
Netherlands Film Festival 09, Utrecht
Rencontres Internationales Paris / Berlin / Madrid 09