Sunday, August 4, 2:00 pm, @ Durham Town Hall

Worlds Collide – Program 2: ¡Vivan las Antipodas!

Programmed by Myke Dyer

still from ¡Vivan las Antipodas!, 2011

still from ¡Vivan las Antipodas!, 2011

¡Vivan las Antipodas! (Long Live The Antipodes!) takes us on a journey around the globe that literally turns our world upside down.

What would be the shortest route between Entre Ríos in Argentina and the Chinese metropolis Shanghai? Simply a straight line through the center of the earth, since the two places are antipodes: they are located diametrically opposite to each other on the earth’s surface. During his visits to four such antipodal pairs, the award-winning documentary filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky wanted to see if there were any similarities or ironic contrasts between oppositional geography and ways of life. In the process he captured a treasure trove of stunning images that remind us how wonderful and beautiful our planet and its inhabitants can be.

Throughout ¡Vivan las Antipodas!, we are presented with other land-mass antipodes, which turn out to be quite rare. Patagonia, Chile, with beautiful snow-covered mountains and flocks of sheep headed to shearing, is contrasted with gorgeous Lake Baikal in Russia, which is likewise a rural area. The camera turns sideways and before taking us elsewhere shows us a near-perfect symmetry of mountains and forest in the still reflection of the placid lake surface. This is abstract art provided by nature and a creative mind. ¡Vivan las Antipodas! is a film with little dialogue. It is a travelogue presented in a contemplative and reflective style. People who live in a wasteland are connected to people dwelling next to a volcano. Landscapes whose splendor touches the soul are juxtaposed with the clamor of a vast city. Kossakovsky’s movie is a feast for the senses, a fascinating kaleidoscope of our planet.

Although we may seem small in the grand scheme of things, there are patterns that get repeated all over the world. With both The World Before Her and ¡Vivan las Antipodas!, told in very different ways, our conventional view of the world is challenged. Both films suggests a certain level of common ground in terms of broader humanity.

still from ¡Vivan las Antipodas!, 2011