Jan Ijäs’s Waste no. 1 Money (2017) was selected for the European Competition of Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, held from April 11–15 in Netherlands. Ijäs’s short documentary film is included in the competition programme “Damage Control”, screened on Thursday, April 12, at 22:00.
Waste no. 1 Money documents the situation where the inflation has resulted in the Zimbabwe dollar completely losing its value. Banknotes are literally recyclable goods, turned into tablecloths and lampshades, for example. In the Harare slums, which are rife with crime, valuable US dollar banknotes must be concealed in clothing, which means that the notes quickly become breeding grounds for bacteria. According to money launderers, dollar bills can best be gently hand washed with Omo detergent in warm water.
Media artist and filmmaker Jan Ijäs lives and works in Helsinki, Finland. Ijäs works with documentary, fiction and alternative film. The films of Ijäs deal with serious and difficult social themes, like migration into foreign and hostile societies. Ijäs’s films have been shown very widely abroad by over a hundred film festivals and as installations in museums and galleries.
Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, 11.–15.4.2018, Netherlands
More information: Go Short ISFF