A myriad of apologies for being so delinquent in my writing responsibilities but after the glamour of the recent 64th Berlinale International Film Festival and Forum Expanded I caught the usual post Berlinale flu that always circulates and pre birthday blues mixed with another gout attack to my knock knees which laid me up for quite some time. Before becoming ill La Susanne Sachsse cooked a scrumptious birthday dinner for me at her Eastside compound that also featured her male escort Dr. Professor Marcuse Siegel and Daniel “Haji” Hendrickson the Scandinavian Muslim. Lady Susi the Fearless Leader of Kollectiv CHEAP and Mr. Siegel are always kept very busy with imaginative and innovative projects. Frau Sachssee was all over this year’s Berlinale with her triumphant performance in the Bruce LaBruce film adaption of Arnold Schoneberg’s Pierrot Lunaire which was presented as one of the major events of Forum Expanded under Empress Stefanie Schulte Strathaus whose curatorial genius really sparkled in a magical and mystical fashion this year. I can't stop talking about how Miss Stefanie and her Forum Expanded curatorial team made such excellent choices and created such excitement that really made this year's festival jump. But getting back to Pierrot Lunaire, I saw the film twice at its premiere at the Dephi Kino and a follow-up screening at the Arsenal which was more relaxed and featured a brilliant Q&A with the audience where Judy LaBruce was quite wonderful in acknowledging the fact that the film wouldn’t have come together without Susanne who was really the co-director and co-editor and supervised every moment of its inception and fruition. In the audience at the Arsenal was the distinguished Romanian film critic and film programmer Irene Rudolf who has now joined the legions of Sachsse rabid admirers. I am so glad I got a chance to see the film twice as you really have to watch it multiple times to fully absorb every aspects of Susanne’s incredible performance as the man who calls himself Pierrot. Not only is her acting so courageous and spot on conveying just the perfect tone throughout, but her singing of the score is equally hypnotic and entrancing. Susanne shows so many different sides of herself in this film and her vulnerability had me fighting back tears several times throughout both screenings. The movie really deserves a lot of attention and I am so glad that it was awarded a special Teddy prize as it’s a movie that cannot be ignored. Of all the members of Kollective CHEAP Susanne Sachsse has really emerged as a leading cultural force. Her own film projects like the masterful Serious Ladies,and upcoming cinebon about her famous grandmother plus live art and installation pieces are just the tip of what is going to be a career that many writers and critics will be pondering over with radiant glimeze for years to come.
Other aspects of Forum Expanded that was abuzz: the young handsome Polish filmmaker Marcin Malaszczak who continues to impress this year with his short subject Orbitalna, veterana Laura Mulvey & Company with her excellent 23rd August 2008 and the Forum Expanded Think Film No 2 mini congress.