Ritual In Transfigured Time, Harakiri & A Spell To Ward Off the Darkness (with Rob Szeliga)

This week, I am joined by Rob Szeliga, a sound designer, filmmaker and volunteer with the Deptford Cinema. We break format a bit to look at not two, but three films connected by their use of sound (or lack thereof in one case).

For the first forty minutes or so, I speak to Rob about his work and his background in film. There are some sound issues, but they sort themselves out pretty quickly, so just skip ahead a few minutes if its bothering you.

After that we look at:

Ritual In Transfigured Time (1946) The legendary Maya Deren directs this eerie silent short, exploring social rituals, feelings of alienation and the terror of being left alone.

Haraki (1962) Directed by Masaki Kobayashi, Harakiri is a powerful treatise on rigid power structures and authoritarian cruelty. It's also a gripping mystery and has some really cool sword fights (I loved it).

A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness (2013) A collaboration between The Two Bens (noone calls them this) - Ben Russell and Ben Rivers, experimental filmmakers from the US and the UK respectively, A Spell is both an immersive, sensory look at community vs isolation and a black metal concert film.

You can find out more about Rob and his work here and the Deptford Cinema here

Instagram: @cinema_rising
Email: cinemarisingshow@gmail.com

Intro music: Joel Oldham @old.joel
Artwork:  Fred Sanders @fredsanders.creative