Sports can be challenging, scary, even dangerous – and yet, some people actually enjoy the physical activity. This programme attempts to illuminate the phenomenon of sports in all its facets. What is going on in the minds of people engaged in sports? Why do certain disciplines exist in the first place? Is it a good idea to train with your pet or in front of the TV? This is by no means an anti-sports programme but rather an homage to the absurdity of sports.
My Exercise
Atsushi Wada / Japan 2020 / 2'36" / DCP / colour / no dialogue / Ani
A boy is doing an exercise with his dog.
Fat Boy Never Slim
Sorayos Prapapan / Thailand/Myanmar 2016 / 13'35" / DCP / colour / Thai / Fic
2015: Two fat Thai schoolboys don't want to serve in the military when they turn 21. They'd prefer to take the territorial defence course instead. But will they pass the physical test?
Ten Meter Tower
Axel Danielson/Maximilien Van Aertryck / Sweden 2016 / 16'18" / DCP / colour / Swedish / Exp/Doc
A 10-meter diving tower. People who have never been up there before have to chose whether to jump or climb down. The situation highlights a dilemma: to weigh the instinctive fear of taking the step against the humiliation of having to climb down. An entertaining study of humans in a vulnerable position.
Wayside
Angela Stempel / USA 2018 / 3' / DCP / colour / English / Clip/Ani
A woman goes to a yoga class and falls right out of her comfort zone. The large, featureless blue leader guides his yogis with almost metaphysical authority. Over time, the woman gets sucked into his world of blind obedience, joining the ranks of her yoga peers. Sometimes going to a yoga class can be more than you bargained for...
Sportscast
Marja Pensala / Finland 1988 / 1'38" / DCP / colour / no dialogue / Doc
A satiric view of masculine power.
Lauberhorntest with Bernhard Russi
Switzerland / DCP / colour / Swiss German / Doc
Ski legend Bernhard Russi shows kids in the studio how to approach the Lauberhorn downhill race.
Downhill Skiing in Summer
Daniel Zimmermann / Switzerland 2006 / 6' / DCP / colour / German / Exp
The Lauberhorn ski race, the worlds longest downhill race, has been moved to summer. 10,000 wooden slats show the perfect line that the skiers aim for but never achieve in winter. The viewers become racers, and the newscaster accompanies them live on their downhill ride at breakneck speed.
Belle Epoque – Youth
Rio Wolta / Switzerland 2021 / 4'4" / DCP / colour / English / Clip
We're in the 1970s. Mr and Mrs Swiss are skiing. The winters are white, the is future rosy. Switzerland is celebrating its national sport and enjoying the post-war prosperity. People are carefree, fearless, and full of confidence. Vacations are spent at home, the domestic ski industry is flourishing, and the ski resorts are far from being dependent on foreign money.
Six Day Run
Mika Taanila / Finland 2013 / 15' / DCP / colour / English / Doc
A film about spiritual exercise on a one-mile paved loop in a park. The Six Day Run has been one of the most extreme individual endurance sports since the 1870s.
Body-Building Exercise
Maggie Menghan Chen / China 2020 / 4'36" / DCP / colour / no dialogue / Exp
Incorporating elements of hiphop, vogue, and metal dance, «Body-Building Exercise» was streamed on social media at the beginning of global quarantine as a response to contemporary body culture, performativity, and spirituality under the guise of potentially viral digital content.