About

Presented in conjunction with the Gallery exhibition ‘Still Life Now’ (24 September 2022 – 19 February 2023), ‘Still Lives’ explores themes relating to life, death, and transformation. From the macabre to the magnificent, the films included in this program delve into varying cinematic ruminations on life; its creation, preservation, and ultimate transfiguration.

The program is presented across four interconnected strands – Stillness, Excess, Transition, and Transformation.

Stillness

‘Stillness’ slowly drifts through a range of everyday scenarios to find beauty in the banal. The selected films make room for quiet thought and observation by using long takes, static camera shots and minimalist sets, all of which highlight the gentle magnificence of the ordinary and overlooked.

Abbas Kiarostami 24 Frames 2017 All Ages
Jim Jarmusch Coffee and Cigarettes 2003 M
Liu Jiayin Oxhide 2005 Ages 15+
Enrique Rivero Parque vía 2008 Ages 15+
Phil Collins the meaning of style 2011 All Ages

Excess

‘Excess’ features stories of extravagance and indulgence. Some use visually lavish depictions of food to create a sense of bacchanalia gone mad, whilst others shine a light on the communities that emerge from the remnants of excessive industry and urban development.

Peter Strickland Flux Gourmet 2022 MA15+
Eddie White Carnivore Reflux 2006 Ages 12+
Peter Greenaway The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover 1989 R18+
Yashaswini Raghunandan That Cloud Never Left 2019 All Ages
Jia Zhangke Still Life 2006 Ages 15+

Transition

‘Transition’ presents experiences of life and death and the rituals that mark these moments as points of transition. From the darkly comedic to the visually arresting, the selected films explore traditions of grief and mourning, not only for the loss of loved ones, but also for the loss of routine and lifestyle.

Sima Urale Still Life 2001 Ages 15+
Roy Andersson A Pigeon Sat on A Branch Reflecting on Existence 2014 M
Carl Olsson Meanwhile on Earth 2020 Ages 15+
Pedro Costa Vitalina Varela 2019 Ages 18+
Cristi Puiu The Death of Mr Lazarescu 2005 M

Transformation

‘Transformation’ features stories of alchemical alterations and anthropomorphic allegories, where the natural meets the unnatural, to explore contemporary relations between humans, plants, and animals.

György Pálfi Taxidermia 2006 R18+
Robert Zemeckis Death Becomes Her 1992 M
Roger Corman A Bucket of Blood 1959 M
Jan Švankmajer Insects 2018
Jessica Hausner Little Joe 2019 M
Yorgos Lanthimos The Lobster 2015 MA15+

Program curated by Victoria Wareham, Australian Cinémathèque.

QAGOMA acknowledges the generous assistance of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Canberra; the American Genre Film Archive, Austin; and the Eye Filmmuseum, Amsterdam in providing materials for this program.