A film’s quest to explore the power of the imagination should never be hindered by its budget. A stunning psychedelic trip and an oppressive dream for fans of Kenneth Anger and dark music, filmed entirely on a mobile phone. Viewers will also appreciate the unique soundtrack featuring bands such as Master Musicians of Bukkake and Aluk Todolo. Surrender to the ritual!
Folk, ambient, guitar and electronic psychedelia accompany this two-hour audiovisual trip blending the spontaneous ideas of its author with her enduring devotion to the occult. Her vision, tightly interwoven with the musical accompaniment, reveals plenty of sinister appeal that successfully manages to avoid being too specific. A more general mystical atmosphere is only just tangible which, instead of evolving into a catharsis, keeps the viewer in a permanent state of intoxication. In its colour and texture, the overall stylisation of the film comes close to the sixties psychedelia familiar not only from the music of the era, but also from the films of Kenneth Anger. Black Mass Rising could thus be seen as a timeless work, but also as an unexpected zephyr wafting in from an age when the hippy era spilled over into something much more menacing. While echoes of the Necronomicon come through with surprising intensity, this isn’t an explicit form of ritual; it’s the force of the imagination that counts.
120 min / Color, DIGIBETA
Director Shazzula
/ Screenplay Shazzula
/ Dir. of Photography Shazzula
/ Music Master Musicians of Bukkake, Bobby Beausoleil, Shazzula, Mater Suspiria Vision, Aluk Todolo, Burial Hex, Menace Ruine a d.
/ Editor Mariexxme
/ Producer Sharon Schievers, Philippe Marie
/ Contact Shazzula
Shazzula (b. 1977, Brussels) is a Belgian musician, visual artist and DIY film director. She was involved with the bands White Hills and Kadavar, and sang with the group Aqua Nebula Oscillator. Her audiovisual work draws on psychedelic motifs, the occult and mysticism, and also incorporates direct references to filmmakers such as Kenneth Anger. In addition to her own art programmes, she organises concerts and, under the header Swamp Booking, she represents bands such as Aluk Todolo, La Otracina and Lecherous Gaze. Black Mass Rising is her biggest project to date, filmed on her mobile phone during her travels and subsequently released in a limited edition of 666 DVDs. The accompanying soundtrack was issued as a luxury vinyl edition.
Shazzula
513 Chaussée St Job, 1180, Brussels
Belgium
E-mail: [email protected]
Shazzula
Film Director
Philippe Marie
Producer
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