What could the fate of the Villa Empain, Baron Empain’s crazy project in Brussels, which has gone through a long and eventful journey since its completion in 1934, possibly inspire? Katharina Kastner’s challenge was to draw the portrait of the place, keeping in mind the work of time, like in a human existence. Shot in 16mm, her film appeals to the senses, it captures the stirring of leaves undulating in the garden light, the movement of iridescent pearls, or the colourful games of
a piece by Daniel Buren. Without a word, but with a caressing camera, she pays close attention to the hidden patterns on the gorgeous marbles, or to the veins in the most precious types of wood used to decorate the rooms. In slight touches, regardless of the monumental aspect of the 27.000 square-feet villa and the pool that so impressed its first visitors, Katharina Kastner o ers an organic vision of the place, which has been marked by the trials and tribulations of life, and used successively as a museum, an embassy and a squat, until its final renovation. The clever editing makes furtive connections, underlines colour associations, mixes up times and tactile sensations, while the spaces we explore keep rustling. The film takes us on a reminiscing journey, with slices of Empain’s life, from the family archive here on a holiday, there playing on the beach, images from a distant past that keep haunting the premises. The film reveals to us this living space that was designed like a piece of art, but it does so in a wandering way. This dream vision guides us through the villa like an echo of foregone fantasies, a mental space, but also a welcoming backdrop for the work of time. A bit like the fingerprint work we see in the film, or the slight touch of a pencil on a blank sheet.

《动物》讲述了欲望、激情和理性这些相互矛盾又造就生活的力量。Mati和她的一群男性伙伴，控制着他们的村庄，他们取笑邻居，骚扰女孩们。但当Mati最亲密的朋友Sebastian爱上了她，而Mati与她的敌人Carla也不期然地成为了朋友，情况悄然改变；同时Mati的父母也面临着决择：表象与现实，哪个更重要？导演Katharina Mückstein曾为电影制片人，2013年凭借电影《塔利娅》成为导演，并分别获得奥地利电影节“最佳影片”奖和苏黎世电影节“金眼睛”奖提名。