Brimstone & Glory Viktor Jakovleski

The Mexican town of Tultepec is known for its spectacular fireworks. Every year it solidifies its reputation by putting on a huge and breathtaking festival. A visual spectacle, produced by and featuring music by Benh Zeitlin, the man behind Beasts of the Southern Wild.

In Europe, we associate fireworks with nightly parties, visual spectacle and a healthy dose of risk taking. The inhabitants of Tultepec are familiar with all those ingredients, albeit on a much larger scale. The whole town is crazy about the phenomenon and all the inhabitants look forward to the annual festival. To organize another successful edition, huge risks are taken, often resulting in severe burns or even amputations. The documentary tries to explain how and why the inhabitants are capable of such sacrifices, not by showing boring interviews, but by following the driven Mexicans during the lengthy preparations and especially during their annual high mass. Fireworks have never looked so impressive on the silver screen!

 

Anyone who has seen Beasts of the Southern Wild remembers the first 10 minutes in which a beautifully choreographed and musical introduction moves the viewer but also inspires awe. The same director produced, choreographed and composed the music for this documentary. Brimstone & Glory succeeds in grasping the dual - danger on the one hand, amazing visuals on the other hand - attraction of fireworks. The accidents regularly affecting Tultepec (recently 36 people died in an explosion) are never minimized, but at the same time the filmmakers do not judge the inhabitants. Even the greatest skeptic will have to make sure, after that endless storm of fire, light and tangible adrenalin, that his initially raised eyebrow has not been scorched.

 



Visually stunning Portret

Vertoond op editie(s) 2018
Screened at edition(s) 2018

Info

Directed by Viktor Jakovleski
Mexico and USA
2017 67 min.
Spanish
Subtitles: English

Programme

International selection

credits
Director

Viktor Jakovleski

Producer

Kellen Quinn, Elizabeth Lodge Stepp, Dan Janvey, Affonso Gonçalves, Benh Zeitlin

Cinematography

Tobias von dem Borne

Editing

Affonso Gonçalves

Music

Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin

Contact info
Bekijk Contact info
(en screener)
(beschikbaar vanaf 20.03)