For further information please download the respective Forum Expanded sheet (PDF).
In a temporal twist, as suggested by its title, In the Future They Ate from the Finest Porcelain tells the story of an intervention into the future perception of a territory’s political history.
A self-proclaimed narrative resistance group makes underground deposits of elaborate porcelain – suggested to belong to an entirely fictional civilization. Their aim is to influence history and support future claims to their vanishing lands. Once unearthed, the buried tableware will prove the existence of this counterfeit people. By implementing a myth of its own, their work becomes a historical intervention – de facto creating a nation.
The film takes the form of a fictional video essay, combining live motion and CGI, and taking clues from archeology, politics, and science fiction. A voice-over based on an interview between a psychiatrist and the leader of the narrative resistance group about her thoughts on myth and fiction as constitutive for fact, history, and documentary reveals the philosophy and ideas behind the group’s actions.
Larissa Sansour, born in 1973 in East Jerusalem, Palestine, currently lives and works in London, UK. Her work utilizes video, photography, installation, the book form, and the internet.
Søren Lind, born 1970, is a Danish author who lives and works in London, UK. He writes children’s books and literary fiction. In addition to his literary production, Lind is also a visual artist and writes short film scripts.
Production: Spike Film and Video, Bristol; Film London Artists' Moving Image Network, London
Screenplay: Søren Lind
Camera: Thomas Fryd
With: Pooneh Hajimohammadi, Anna Aldridge, Leyla Ertosun, Larissa Sansour, Carol Sansour
Format: DCP, Color
Running time: 29 min
Language: Arabic
Photo: © mec film, Larissa Sansour, Søren Lind
