KOFA presents nature-focused film series for Earth Day

Program features documentary, art films that examine humanity's relationship with natural world

A scene from"Leviathan" (2012) co-directed by Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel (KOFA)

The Korean Film Archive, a state-run institution dedicated to preserving and researching film heritage, will present "Perspectives on Nature," a lineup of documentary and experimental films focused on the natural world, from April 22 to May 8 at its Mapo-gu, Seoul headquarters. Timed for Earth Day, the program features works by contemporary filmmakers who explore landscapes and environments through distinctive artistic approaches.

Italian director Michelangelo Frammartino contributes two films to the program. "Le quattro volte" (English: "The Four Times," 2010) unfolds in a Calabrian mountain town and moves through four phases -- human, animal, plant and mineral -- drawing on Pythagorean ideas. "Il buco" (English: "The Hole," 2021) documents the 1961 exploration of the nearly 700-meter-deep Bifurto Abyss in southern Italy. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2021.

A scene from "Homo Sapiens" (2016) directed by Nikolaus Geyrhalter (KOFA)

Austrian filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter's "Homo Sapiens" (2016) captures abandoned human spaces through static shots. Filmed at over 100 locations worldwide, the work lets the vacant structures speak for themselves, with no narration or people in sight. Sharon Lockhart's "Double Tide" documents a clam digger working in Maine's coastal mudflats using two 45-minute stationary shots.

The program also features two works by Lucien Castaing-Taylor, director of Harvard University's Sensory Ethnography Lab. "Sweetgrass" (2009) follows Norwegian-American shepherds leading sheep through Montana's mountains. "Leviathan," (2012) co-directed with Verena Paravel, immerses viewers in the North American fishing industry, using GoPro cameras during the fishing crews' 20-hour shifts.

Scott Barley's "Sleep Has Her House," (2017) shot entirely using an iPhone, blends long takes, still photography and hand-drawn images to portray a world emptied of human beings where supernatural forces emerge.

A scene from "Wistful Wilderness" (2010), directed by Digna Sinke (KOFA)

Making its Korean premiere through the event is Digna Sinke's "Weemoed & Wildernis" (English: "Wistful Wilderness," 2010). The documentary tracks the island of Tiengemeten in the Netherlands as it shifts from farmland to wilderness over 13 years, woven together with the director's reflections.

Castaing-Taylor will participate in Q&A sessions after his film screenings on May 2 and 3. All showings are free of charge. Full schedule details are available on the Korean Film Archive website.