Category Archives: Films

Energy: A Documentary About Damo Suzuki

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Very excited to announce I am an Associate Producer on the forthcoming documentary about Damo Suzuki’s battle with cancer and his return to the stage. Made by Michelle Heighway, who made the excellent “Mr Somebody” about Huddersfield eccentric Jake Manglewurzel.

I was present for the first couple of batches of filming so I might even appear in front of the camera. I certainly saw my arm in the trailer:

ENERGY – A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT DAMO SUZUKI from Michelle Heighway on Vimeo.

So, while it’s all been filmed, post-production and marketing ain’t cheap so there’s a crowdfunding campaign set up to try and raise some funds for that. Lots of great rewards involved including mugs, t-shirts, artwork and, of course, the film itself. Get involved here

UPDATE: signed vinyl & digital downloads added to rewards!
UPDATE#2: crowd-funding now over. £13,566 GBP raised by 178 backers. Thanks to everyone who got involved, this is going to be a great film. I’ll make sure to buy a big bunch of copies of the finished project for the Was Ist Das? shop so watch this space.

BFI to unleash Werner Herzog Blu-Ray box set

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herzogThe BFI have announced a suitably epic but reasonbaly priced Werner Herzog Blu-ray box set. Promising digitally remastered High Definition presentations of classics such as Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972); The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974); Nosferatu, the Vampyre (1979) and Fitzcarraldo (1982) plus many of Herzog’s hugely acclaimed short films. Extras include Jack Bond’s long-unseen South Bank Show on Herzog from 1982 and Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams. Of particular interest to us personally is the 1975 documentary “The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner” which has a rarely heard Popol Vuh soundtrack.

According to the release’s page on amazon, the set comes out on July 21st and contains the following:

The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz (1967)
Last Words (1968)
Precautions Against Fanatics (1969)
Handicapped Future (1970)
Fata Morgana (1971)
Land Of Silence and Darkness (1971)
Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972)
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1975)
Heart of Glass (1976)
How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (1976)
Stroszek (1977)
Nosferatu, the Vampyre (1979)
Woyzeck (1979)
Huie’s Sermon (1980)
God’s Angry Man (1980)
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Cobre Verde (1987)

Special features:
All films remastered to High Definition
Alternative German and English versions of Nosteratu, the Vampyre
Nosferatu On set documentary (1979, 13 mins)
Burden of Dreams (Les Blank, 1982, 95 mins)
South Bank Show: Werner Herzog (Jack Bond, 1982, 50 mins)
Illustrated booklet with extensive essay by Laurie Johnson; full film credits
Full-length audio commentaries with Werner Herzog on selected titles

Black Mass Rising

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As the title suggests, “Black Mass Rising” is a new dark and psychedelic film inspired by the likes of Kenneth Anger. It features music from Kawabata Makoto, Master Musicians of Bukake, Bobby Beausoleil (who scored “Lucifer Rising”), Mater Suspiria Vision, Burial Hex and Sylvester Anfang II among many other. Made by the mysterious Shazzula, it’s been released on DVD in a limited edition of 666. Check out this preview:

BLACK MASS RISING movie (Official Trailer) from shazzula on Vimeo.

The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye

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Showing at this years Tribeca film festival in New York is “The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye“, a film by Marie Losier. The film joins Psychic TV on the road but is mainly focussed on the relationship between Genesis P-Orridge and Lady Jaye, as well as their well-documented experiment with pandrogeny. See the film’s website for screening details.

Ira Cohen R.I.P.

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The film-maker Ira Cohen has passed away, as confirmed by his website.

Although also a photographer and a poet, Cohen is best remembered for his short psychedelic, avant garde film “The Invasion of Thunder Bolt Pagoda”. The film was released on DVD by Arthur Magazine with the option of viewing the film with the original psychedelic drone soundtrack by Angus Maclaise or with new soundtracks recorded by Acid Mothers Temple SWR and also by Sunburned Hand of the Man

Psychedelic Short Film: Twelve Dark Noons

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Twelve Dark Noons is a psychedelic apocalypse film with music from Naked on the Vague. The film is being made by Future Primitive Films who have made videos for Zola Jesus, Moon Duo, Gary War and US Girls. The film is being co-produced by Caleb Braaten of Sacred Bones.

Here’s the trailer: