Room 999
In 1982, Wim Wenders asked 16 of his fellow directors to speak on the future of cinema, resulting in the film Room 666. Now, 40 years later, in Cannes, director Lubna Playoust asks a new generation of filmmakers the same question: is cinema a language about to get lost, an art about to die?
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One of two films screened as a double feature at this year's JEONJU International Film Festival. 41 years have passed since Room 666. Young director Lubna Playoust adopts Wim Wenders' idea and repeats the same conditions and procedures as in his documentary—the same hotel, fixed camera, and guests who are asked the question as soon as they enter the room: “Is cinema a language about to get lost, an art about to die?” Of course, participants changed and more filmmakers participated as time went by: Albert Serra, Claire Denis, Baz Luhrmann, David Cronenberg, Alice Rohrwacher, Olivier Assayas, Ruben Östlund, Paolo Sorrentino, and Asghar Farhadi. Unlike Room 666, this time the interviews included diverse directors who were not only different in age but also at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their working worlds, reputations, film aesthetics, and ways of understanding and realizing the medium. Time has passed, but some things remain the same. Thoughts about authors and the Cannes Film Festival that exercises omnipotent power from the perspective of the only person responsible for the film. The appearance of Wim Wenders at the beginning of the film gives a sense of the integrity of this project as well as confidence that this is a proven plan. (Sung MOON)
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Lubna PLAYOUST