Programme of shorts PÖFF 2020

Alex Prager’s short film “Play The Wind”, part of the exhibition Welcome Home, is an experimental and playful homage to the works of Alfred Hitchcock (and other classic Hollywood auteurs such as Douglas Sirk) that explores the pleasures and violence of voyeurism, as well as the complex relationship with nostalgia and the past. These themes are a common preoccupation for Prager as she recontextualizes the tropes of classical Hollywood movies and uncovers the darkness that lies underneath the shiny surface of glitz and glamour.

“Follow The Yellow Brick Road” is a programme of shorts that echo the themes and techniques within Prager’s work that change our view of traditional narrative, as well as examine complex relationships of audiences and observation. With a title taken from one of the classics of Hollywood cinema, the selection helps us see the paths that lead towards Prager’s work and the roads that venture away from it.

Play utilises found footage as we observe audiences in theatre auditoriums, concert halls and cinemas. As we see them applaud, we begin to question who actually is the viewer in this scenario. Outer Space sees footage The Entity (1980) edited into an abstract nightmare in which the very medium of film itself becomes an aggressor. Uso Justo takes a more humorous look at found footage and fair use.