Ingo Petzke
Northern Lights
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Add rightsFormat DVD Interzone
Original format 16mm
Year 1972-1984
Artist(s) Ingo Petzke
Running time 120 min
Films
ONCE UPON A TIME…? (1972) 7'
WINTERFARBE II (1973) 6'
ATLANTIS (1974) 9'
AUSSARIQ (1975) 17'
RASTPLATZ (1975) 5'
GLIMTAR (1975) 16'
ASYMPTOTE (1976) 11'
ALBEDO 0.97 (1977) 12'
ASTRAGAL (1978) 12'
JESPER (1980) 13'
HONG KONG TOPOGRAPHY: NÄHERUNGEN (1984) 12'
Description
Particularly in the 1970s and early 1980s, Ingo Petzke was a force to be reckoned with. This was mainly due to his effervescent and comprehensive activities in the field of experimental film: writing and teaching, creating art cinemas and even festivals, participating in juries and committees, directing CINE PRO—the only German distribution company specializing in experimental film—and funding cash prizes for young filmmakers. Last but not least, he was a filmmaker himself.
Although his films never truly broke through, they were screened regularly and reliably, garnering some prizes and public funding. A closer examination reveals that they closely follow the trends of the time. Where Opus RUB was an exuberant mix of student politics and nudity, very much marked by the mainstream underground current, the Romance d'Amour trilogy was precisely that—short episodes about first love. Once Upon a Time…? aims to translate Dylan and his song A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall into a contemporary German political context. Winterfarbe II and Atlantis are the last films accompanied by a popular music soundtrack, even though they already venture into the realm of more meditative sounds. They nevertheless address the theme that would dominate the following years: travel, nature, impressions—often northern landscapes.