the walk to be screened in reykjavik

on monday, august 25th, "THE WALK" ("VÄSENPUMPEN") will be sceened in the Icelandic capital REYKJAVIK, during the SHORTS & DOCS FILM FESTIVAL 2008.

väsenpumpen recenseras

VUJER FILMTIDNING har publicerat en recension av "VÄSENPUMPEN". den kan läsas här. ris och ros blandas om vartannat. givetvis håller jag inte med om slutklämmen.

fin dag

gårdagen var väldigt fin. det började med en specialvisning av "VÄSENPUMPEN" på SF FILMSTADEN i HELSINGBORG, för samtliga elever vid CAMPEON FRIGYMNASIUM. salong 3 var fylld till sista möjliga stol. med mig hade jag LARS-ERIK BERENETT och som specialinbjuden moderator, kulturredaktören vid HELSINGBORGS DAGBLAD, tillika själv regissör, GUNNAR BERGDAHL. det blev en makalöst fin visning med en givande frågestund efteråt. från HELSINGBORG begav jag och LARS-ERIK oss till LUND, där vi samtalade med personalen vid DIAKONICENTRALEN, som just sett filmen. samtalet berörde de andliga aspekterna av filmen; konsekvenserna av vårt handlande och hur vi möter de mörka momenten i våra liv. efter LUND bar det av till ESLÖV, där kvällens CINESKÅNE-visning av "VÄSENPUMPEN" hölls. BIAN visade sig vara en oerhört ståtlig och fin biograf, med ett engagerat samtal efteråt med publiken. LARS-ERIK sa något som jag själv inte riktigt reflekterat över sedan tidigare, men som mycket väl stämmer överens med filmens kärna. frågan behandlade om det inte hade varit svårt att hålla sig koncentrerad under tagningen, och om det fanns stunder under filmens gång som han eller ANDERS (GRANSTRÖM) hade tappat tråden, varpå LARS-ERIK svarade (ungefärligt):

"Eftersom det inte fanns något manus eller någon struktur att förhålla sig till, så fanns där heller ingen tråd att tappa."

rätt, så.

london

idag beger jag mig till LONDON för att delta i det europeiska filmproducentnätverket ATELIERS DU CINÉMA EUROPÉEN, ACE:s årliga konferens. årets tema är "CREATIVE PRODUCING - A CONTRADICTION IN TERMS", och jag ska delta i den första halvan och diskutera ur manusförfattarens/regissörens perspektiv om vad som konstituerar ett kreativt producentsamarbete. i den andra halvan tar min producent HELENA DANIELSSON vid hepp film rum på scenen och diskuterar samma frågor ur ett producentperspektiv. det är alltså "VÄSENPUMPEN" som föranleder mitt deltagande och det är ur det perspektivet jag ska försöka föra mina resonemang.

hemma är jag först på torsdag - och jag tänker inte anstränga mig för att skynda mig hem något märkbart nämnvärt...

new nordic voices award till csaba bene perlenberg

"It´s said that creativity grows from confusion. That moment when you don´t know what is coming next, what is waiting for you behind the next turn. - But when you're brave enough and able to follow your intuition it is very rewarding. The filmmaker has created a personal directing method that is challenging the actors and the crew in a creative process full of mutual trust. Taking your attention from the very first moment, keeping us there until the very end. A two kilometer one take masterpiece."

NORDIC PANORAMA FILM FESTIVALs jurys motivering då regissören CSABA BENE PERLENBERG blev den första regissören någonsin att ta emot det helt nyinstiftade NEW NORDIC VOICES AWARD för sin film "VÄSENPUMPEN" / "THE WALK" på kvällen den 25:e september 2007, Oulu, Finland.

väsenpumpen vinner 2 priser!

i lördags kväll belönades "VÄSENPUMPEN" (på engelska "THE WALK") med två priser vid 4th. CINEFEST i MISKOLC, UNGERN. filmen vann i följande två kategorier:

Main Prize of the Long Feature Film Category

Prize of the Critics

jag hade tyvärr inte möjlighet att närvara vid utdelningen då jag var på väg till NORDIC PANORAMA i OULU, FINLAND. dock skickade jag med ett uttalande som kan läsas här nedanför.

Dear Jury, Participants and Festival Committee,

Standing at Helsinki Airport, on my way to the Nordic Panorama Film Festival in Oulu, Finland, I was reached by word from Miskolc that our film "The Walk" had been awarded these amazing prizes from the 4th. Cinefest. With the risk of sounding like I am using clichés, I am deeply, deeply, DEEPLY honoured and humbled by Your kind gesture.

When I first started planning for the production of "The Walk", there were some people who said that this film couldn´t be done. They urged me to do it in several sequences, with several cuts, and to use a screenplay as a basis. We had an extremely small production budget. They said that it was too difficult, and that it would be problematic if we couldn´t make it work. Only a handful of very brave people choosed to believe in it - and see it all through.

Today, You have proved them all wrong. Today, You gave attention to the amazing efforts of the two actors Anders Granstrom and Lars-Erik Berenett, who I believe are doing the strongest achievements of their acting careers. But You also give appreciation for the fact that no matter what, it is important to go forward with your idea. That it is okay to be experimental, and that it is an artistic necessity to take risks. We must always go forward, even when we are telling stories of the past. The kinetic movement within a single frame, however still it stands, still points towards a forward motion.

I hope that our film has inspired You to move forward with Your own risk-taking!

Again - thank You so much for Your appreciation of "The Walk" and I hope to see each and every one of you at the 5th Cinefest!

Respectfully,

Csaba Bene Perlenberg, Oulu, Finland, September 22nd, 2007

schedule for oulu-visit

this is the personal itenerary for director CSABA BENE PERLENBERG during his visit @ the 2007 NORDIC PANORAMA FILM FESTIVAL in OULU, FINLAND, between September 21-24, 2007.

CSABA can be reached @ +46(0)768-653272 or @ csaba@antonbenefilm.se

Friday, September 21st

16:05.
Arrival @ Oulu Airport.

21:00.
"The Walk" is screened in the NNV1-section.

Saturday, September 22nd

10:00-11.30.
Meeting.

17:00
Dvoted.net function.

Sunday, September 23rd

10:00.
"The Walk" is screened in the NNV1-section.

After that:

10:00-14:00.
Nordic Short Film Circle
@ NUKU Big Hall

14.00.
Interview, Neo Arena TV.

Monday, September 24th

15:00
Leaving Oulu

emma om 'pumpen'

filmskribenten EMMA GRAY MUNTHE skriver idag på sin blogg om "VÄSENPUMPEN". hennes inlägg kan läsas här.

väsenpumpen/the walk in competition in hungary

VÄSENPUMPEN / THE WALK has been selected for OFFICIAL COMPETION at the 4th CINEFEST 2007 in HUNGARY, between 16-23 september. the film will be shown in the LONG FEATURE FILM category. this is the 2nd film festival where the film has been accepted for competition; NORDIC PANORAMA in Oulu, Finland, is the other.

confirmation is available here.

filmfestival idag

idag visas VÄSENPUMPEN på LILLA FILMFESTIVALEN I BÅSTAD. jag kommer vara på plats i och kring BÅSTAD under hela dagen.

nordic answers

in anticipation of the NORDIC PANORAMA FILM FESTIVAL 2007, where "THE WALK" (Swedish title "VÄSENPUMPEN") has been selected to screen at the newly founded NEW NORDIC VOICES section, a poll has been submitted to all of the participating directors. below are my answers to their questions. if nothing else, it can always fill up some much needed blog space...

1. How do you see the present state of short film in Scandinavia?
I believe the quality to be very cyclical. Periodically, the films are either strong in regard to subject matter, but flawed regarding the form. It is seldom that these two factors are combined flawlessly. But that could of course also be said about the majority of feature length films.

2. How has it changed in the past years?
The so-called "digital revolution" has created an abundance of handheld crap in short films. This, in combination with an overuse of cuts, has shaped the audiences views on short film as something that is not so much an artform, but rather a medium. But, again, the same could be said about the independant feature film scene.

3. In your oppinion, what is the future of short film in Scandinavia?
Short films will always be an intermediary stop on ones way to feature film production. However, there are tendencies that indicates that young directors will be forced to stay in the "short film swamp" much longer than before, having to do short after short before they are entrusted to helm a feature film production. The ledge to feature films have been raised due to fear of failure.

4. Anything else you want to mention about the subject?
Short film production is a messy and complicated affair. There is a concrete lack of profit, and the directors are usually forced to make compromise after compromise. But there´s a point to all of this - if you manage to get through these first, frustrating years, then it is more or less inevitable that you will be able to get to your feature sooner or later - and you will be bloody well equipped for it in regards to experiences and a preferential no-bullshit mentality. Don't give up. If you do, you never deserved to do that feature anyway. Harsch, but true.

the walk at nordic panorama

"VÄSENPUMPEN" ("THE WALK") has been OFFICIALLY SELECTED to participate in THE NORDIC COMPETITION PROGRAMME at the 2007 edition of the nordic film festival NORDIC PANORAMA. it will be shown in the "NP Intr07: New Nordic Voices" section. out of 565 submitted films to the entire festival, a new yearly record, "VÄSENPUMPEN" ("THE WALK") was selected as 1 of 15 in that section (out of approx. 60-70 films accepted to the festival as a whole).

this year, NORDIC PANORAMA takes place in OULU, FINLAND/SUOMI, between September 21-26.

kvp om väsenpumpen

recension i dagens KVÄLLSPOSTEN, på kultursidorna, av ANDERS E. LARSSON. man vågar sig återge artikeln i sin helhet eftersom Kvällsposten Kultur inte publicerar sina texter i digital form.

Nyss bortgångne Robert Altman gjorde det i "Spelaren" (1992), satiren om filmfabriken i Hollywood - som ironiskt nog drog in en hel bunt pengar till just Hollywoodindustrin. Landskronafilmaren och Kvällsposten-skribenten Csaba Bene Perlenberg gör det i än större utsträckning i långa kortfilmen Väsenpumpen (världspremiär på filmfestivalen i Göteborg).

Altman inleder med en enda obruten tagning på sex minuter, Perlenbergs film består av ett enda klipp på 60 minuter.
Väsenpumpen är befriande egensinnig - här är det någon som har bestämt sig för att experimentera och köra på sin idé fullt ut, och åtminstone 45 av de 60 minuterna är riktigt vassa.
Metoden som Perlenberg, och de utmärkt lyhörda skådespelarna Anders Granström och Lars-Erik Berenett använt sig av, blandar en förutbestämd dramatisk stomme med improviserad utfyllnad. Fler svenska filmare borde våga välja nya stigar.

english translation:

Recently departed Robert Altman did it in "The Player" (1992), the satire about the filmfactory in Hollywood - which, ironically, made a whole lot of money for the Hollywood industry.
The Landskrona-filmmaker and Evening Post-scribe Csaba Bene Perlenberg does it in a larger fashion in the new short feature film The Walk (world premiere at the filmfestival in Gothenburg).
Altman opens with a 6 minute uninterrupted take, Perlenbergs film consists of a single shot lasting 60 minutes.
The Walk is relievingly of it´s own mind - here, someone has decided to experiment and to go for his own idea full on, and atleast 45 of the 60 minutes are truly sharp.
The method Perlenberg, and the excellent actors Anders Granström and Lars-Erik Berenett uses, mixes a predestined dramatic frame with an improvised filling. More Swedish filmmakers should dare to tread new paths.

Review published on Thursday, February 1st 2007, in The Evening Post (Kvällsposten). All rights reserved by Anders E. Larsson (writer) and Kvällsposten/Expressen AB.

interview in DRAKEN

DRAKEN (THE DRAGON), the official festival magazine of the GOTHENBURG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (a nod to the festivals premiere theatre house, THE DRAGON), today published an interview with CSABA BENE PERLENBEG in regards to "THE WALK". DRAKEN also awarded the front page to the director. the following article
is in ENGLISH, and can be read HERE.

world premiere

CSABA BENE PERLENBERG introduced "THE WALK" before the world premiere at SF:s multiplex cinema BERGAKUNGEN, and an almost sold-out theatre house of around 100 festival visitors. two more showings remain, on WEDNESDAY (30/1, 17:30, Bergakungen 6)and THURSDAY (31/1, 10:00, Haga 2). photo by JARNO LEE VINCENSIUS.

english subtitles for ´the walk´

though not announced in the official programme for the GOTHENBURG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, "THE WALK" will be shown with English subtitles on all three showings (27th, 30th and 31st of January). a press-kit in English, in the form of a CD-R, will also be available for media representatives on the 27th.

personal schedule for gothenburg

departing HELSINGBORG 07.54. arriving GOTHENBURG 10.20. interview with the official festival magazine DRAKEN around 11:00. at 15.00, the world premiere of "THE WALK" will commence at BERGAKUNGEN 5, which will last until 16:40. available for interviews before and afterwards. some serious caffe latte-heaving is expected at RESPEKT at JÄRNTORGET during the evening. departing GOTHENBURG 03:00, Sunday morning. arriving in MALMÖ 06:20.

CSABA BENE PERLENBERG can be reached at +46 (0)768 65 32 72 for bookings of interviews.

the walk - list of festivals

VÄSENPUMPEN har eller kommer att visas vid följande filmfestivaler

1. Göteborg Internationella Film Festival 2007 (världspremiär, januari)
2. Skånska Filmdagarna 2007
3. Lilla Filmfestivalen i Båstad 2007 (2 aug)
4. Folkets Bios Filmtält under Malmöfestivalen (24 aug)
5. 4th Cinefest, the Long Feature Films section, Miskolc, Hungary (16-23 sept)
6. Nordic Panorama 2007, "Intr07: New Nordic Voices", Oulu, Finland (21-26 sept)
7. Kristianstadbionnalen (19-21 okt) (CineSkåne-visning)
8. Övriga Cineskåne-visningar (Båstad, 25 + 27 oktober, Eslöv, 3 december, Tomelilla, 5 december, Höör, 12 december)
9. Brännö Filmfestival (17 nov)
10. Nordic Panorama Showcasing, Belgrad, Serbien, 14 + 15 februari, 2008
11. Shorts and Docs Film Festival, Reykjavik, Island, 22-29 Augusti, 2008

THE WALK has been, or will be shown @ the following film festivals

1. Gothenburg International Film Festival 2007 (world premiere)
2. The Scanish Film Days 2007
3. The Little Film Festival in Båstad 2007 (Aug. 2nd)
4. Folkets Bios The Movie Tent during the Malmoe Festival (Aug. 24th)
5. 4th Cinefest, the Long Feature Films section, Miskolc, Hungary (Aug. 16th-23rd)
6. Nordic Panorama 2007, "Intr07: New Nordic Voices" (Sept. 21st-26th)
7. Kristianstadbionnalen (Oct. 19th-21st, included in Cineskåne)
8. Other Cineskåne-showings (Båstad, Oct. 25th + 27th, Eslöv, Dec. 3rd, Tomelilla, Dec. 5th, Höör, Dec. 12th.)
9. Brännö Filmfestival (Nov. 17th)
10. Nordic Panorama Showcasing, Belgrade, Serbia, Febr. 14th + 15th, 2008
11. Shorts & Docs Film Festival, Reykjavik, Iceland, August 22-29th, 2008

the walk - info

Press information
Trailer
Poster

List of festival participation

Pic, screencap
Pic, Anders Granström
Pic, Lars-Erik Berenett
Pic, Csaba Bene Perlenberg

For further information, please contact producer FREDRIK MYRTELL at fredrik@heppfilm.se or +46 (0)730 508598.

the walk - press information

SHORT SYNOPSIS
Two child-hood friends meet on a deserted morning. After 50 years apart, one is called upon by the other. Their meeting becomes an overthrowing reunion, where the present is intertwined with the past; where truths are reconsidered and memories analysed. And ultimately, it becomes an unravelling of their childhood sins...

THE DIRECTOR’S COMMENT
As a director of fiction you are by definition a spineless coward. In theory, and with the reinforcement of the freedom that digital filmmaking brings with it, you have unlimited chances of getting a certain footage, a specific emotion or the right kind of light. The actor, much at his or her annoyance, has one attempt after the other to render the scene. Thus I wanted to leave behind the security that the untruth of fiction consists of. Two outstanding actors. No written script, only character descriptions. A single take, at an exterior location. No cuts. A 2 km walk. A total of 62 minutes of mini-dv tape. At the moment of liberation we achieve excellence.

THE METHOD
”The Walk” was created not from a screenplay, but from a basic story, character descriptions and examples of dialogue. Director Csaba Bene Perlenberg also gave the actors, Anders Granström and Lars-Erik Berenett, a dramatic curve for their one-hour walk. How the story was to be told was up to the actors to improvise.

In his strive for complete focus, director Perlenberg also decided to use a unique visual concept. Thus the film was shot in a single hour-long take. This meant laying extreme pressure on the actors as well as the crew.

A minimal team consisting of the director, a steadi-cam operator and a sound recordist followed the actors on their walk through the forest. Being in character, improvising in front of the camera for one hour straight completely drained the actors. Another take would not have been possible. Luckily it was not needed.

ABOUT DIRECTOR CSABA BENE PERLENBERG
Attends the PCFE Film School in Prague. Has previously studied screenwriting at New York Film Academy and Brobygrafiska Folkhögskolan, Sunne. Freelances as an editorial columnist at the Swedish tabloid ”Kvällsposten”. Works for The European Cultural Foundation in Amsterdam on TheOneMinutesJr.org. Also runs a Swedish blog ”Minnesrötter” focusing on the art of film, http://perlenberg.blogspot.com/.

DIRECTORS PREVIOUS WORK
2006 ”Golem”, short-film, writer, director ( 5 minutes)
2006 “Väsenpumpen” (”The Walk”), short feature, writer, director ( 60 minutes)
2006 “Bloos”, documentary feature, writer, director ( 71 minutes)
2006 “Alexanders afton”, short feature, writer, director ( 40 minutes)
2005 “Narrativitae”, short-film, writer, director ( 45 minutes)
2005 “Bridged”, short-film, writer, director ( 5 minutes)
2005 “Crisp”, short-film, writer, director ( 6 minutes)
2005 “Eko”, short-film, writer, director ( 7 minutes)
2004 “3d”, short-film, writer, director ( 1 minutes)
2004 “Cecilia”, short-film, writer, director ( 5 minutes)
2004 “The language of silence”, short-film, writer, director ( 15 minutes)
2003 "Änglafall", TV-series, writer, director ( 3 episodes á 45 minutes)

ABOUT ACTOR ANDERS GRANSTRÖM
One of Sweden’s most known and appreciated storytellers. Since the beginning of the 80’s Granström has been involved in ”ursprungsteater” (Theatre of origin), as a storyteller that is. He is also an experienced actor in both theatre, film and television. He has starred in films such as "Sven Klangs Kvintett" (1976) by Stellan Olsson, "Den enfaldige mördaren" (1982) by Hans Alfredsson, "Goda människor" (1990) av Stefan Jarl. "Prins Hatt under jorden" (1980) och "Den enes bröd den andres död" (1980). In TV-productions, he has acted in "Studiorektorns sista strid", "Macklean"," Sjätte dagen" (1999) and "Den femte kvinnan".

ABOUT ACTOR LARS-ERIK BERENETT
One of Sweden’s most renowned and foremost actors. Berenett is known in all of Sweden for his portrait of author Olov Svedelid’s character police inspector Roland Hassel, in ten films for television between 1986-1992 and one feature film for cinema, "Hassel - Förgörarna" (2000). In the past years he has starred in SVT’s "Kommissionen", Lisa Ohlin’s "Kvalster" (2005), and the Danish film "Ulvepigen Tinke" (2002). Recently he acted together with Swedish actor Sven Wollter in Van Weeteren’s "Borkmans punkt" as well as delivering a memorable performance in Lars Lennart Forsbergs "Störst av allt" (2005). Berenett is also an experienced actor for theatre and has lately been working at Helsingborg’s municipal theatre.

SPECIFICATIONS

Original title
Väsenpumpen

English titel
The Walk

Runtime
60 minutes

Genre
Drama

Actors
Anders Granström
Lars-Erik Berenett

Character scripts and improvisation
Csaba Bene Perlenberg
Anders Granström
Lars-Erik Berenett

Directed by
Csaba Bene Perlenberg

Cinematography
Jarno Lee Vinsencius

Soundrecording and mix
Pål Callmer

Production assistants
Johan Simonsson
Magnus Göransson

Produced by
Fredrik Myrtell
Csaba Bene Perlenberg

Executive producers
Mikael Svensson
Helena Danielsson

Co-produced with
FilmCentrum Syd

Supported by
Landskrona Cultural Department

Recording format
Mini-DV (Panasonic AG-DVX100, progressive)

Screening format
Mini-DV, DV-CAM

Aspect ratio
4:3 Letterboxed

Sound
Stereo

Language
Swedish

Subtitles
English

Country
Sweden

Year
2007

Contact
Hepp Film
Fersens väg 7
211 42 Malmö
Sweden

+46 (0)40-98 44 62
fredrik@heppfilm.se
www.heppfilm.se

The Walk is distributed with support from Film i Skåne and the Swedish Film Institute.