Preludi Op. 28 No. 2 (2022) by Jenni Toikka and 7 P.M. on a Sunday (2022, featured image) by Sevgi Eker are part of Leuven Short Film Festival in Belgium, held on December 2-10 2022. The short film by Toikka is part of “Labo” screening and is shown on December 4 at 9:15 PM, December 6, at 10 PM and on December 10 at 10:15 PM. Eker’s short film is included in “European Competition 2“, screened on Sunday, December 4 at 7 PM and on Thursday, December 8, at 7:30 PM. Both films are screened in Cinema ZED.

In Sevgi Eker’s 7 P.M. on a Sunday, we are at the point of no return. Laura’s life falls apart when she hears that her 14-year-old daughter Ida is suspected of a serious crime.

In Preludi Op. 28 No. 2, during a single long shot, we see two people taking turns playing the piano and listening alternately. The piece is the same on both times – Preludi Op. 28 No. 2 by Chopin – but when the performer changes, the interpretation of the song changes along with the perspective from which the song and its performance are viewed. The uninterrupted playing and single shot capture the event in one temporal moment, but as the camera moves and two people change places, time is equally layered. The performer becomes the listener and the listener becomes the performer.

In one of the key scenes of Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata (1978), the mother and daughter take turns playing the very same Chopin’s Prelude. It is a piece that both are familiar with, so they are able to settle into the position of the other as they listen and watch the other play. A situation like this raises questions about the sense of reciprocity, simultaneity and synaesthesia. Could the roles become mixed from viewer and listener to the object of the gaze and listening? When watching the other playing, can you feel your own hands and fingers on the keys? 

Leuven International Film Festival, December 2-10 22, Leuven, Belgium.

More information: Leuven ISFF.

AV-arkki has promoted and distributed Finnish media art since 1989. AV-arkki’s promotional efforts have made the artists’ participation in this event possible.