On The Line: ALL THAT PASSES BY THROUGH A WINDOW THAT DOESN'T OPEN + SLEEPERS' BEAT
"Martin DiCicco’s visually mesmerizing debut feature follows Azerbaijani railway workers laying the tracks for a future that promises glory to a new generation..." - Hot Docs Festival
While labourers from Azerbaijan are working on the construction of a new high-speed train line intended to bring glory to future generations, in Armenia, a station master has been awaiting the return of the trains for two decades.
All That Passes by Through a Window That Doesn’t Open captures the laying of the tracks with breath-taking imagery as across the closed borders of Eurasia, men wait and dream, trying to suppress regret and fear by connecting with one another and the dreams of a better future.
Screening with: Sleepers' Beat
(DIR. ANASTASIA KIRILLOVA - UK - 2014, 16 MINS)
For weeks they are away from home leading a subservient life, from early morning until late in the evening. Yet living and working on the Trans-Siberian Railway is something the train staff wouldn’t and couldn’t live without. They feel more at home on the train now than in their own homes. Sleepers' Beat is a hymn to the train, which they regard as a living being, and to the cars, which all seem to have their own spirit – one you love right away, the other you learn to love after some time. The camera captures their passion for the train with visual lyricism: it caresses the curtains, shows the snowy Russian landscapes and the rails gleaming in the sunlight. The rattle and rocking of the train create a meditative rhythm, together with soft piano music that provides a daydreamy, nostalgic feel.
