Homo Sapiens Project (200) (2000-2020)
Title: Homo Sapiens Project (200)
A Film By Rouzbeh Rashidi
Year: 2000-2020
County of Production: Iran & Ireland
Genre: Experimental, Art Film, Independent Film
Format: 4K
Language: Persian & English
Duration: 490 Minutes
Production: Experimental Film Society
Funding Body: Self-funded
As part of the Homo Sapiens Project
Director's Statement:
For a decade, spanning from 2000 to 2010, I devoted my personal life to crafting short experimental films, a practice I have always embraced and will continue to do. Over these years, these films morphed and evolved, mirroring spirits' restlessness in their relentless quest for a final resting place they never found. Each segment of the Homo Sapiens Project (200) sprung from a unique condition - it was a manifestation of a subtle therapeutic practice that I was personally living through.
Reflecting upon this journey, I realize how these collective works encapsulate significant life events, stylistic transformations, and thematic pivots in my filmography. However, despite their reflective nature, they could never find a final form that felt perfectly right. In fact, tranquillity is a state rarely experienced in my creative endeavours.
After spending two decades meandering through the labyrinth of my subconscious, these films have finally found a sanctuary, settling into a realm of their own - a deeply personal, floating planet shaped by my attempts. This journey, however, raises a question: to what extent can one stretch a piece of work through incessant re-editing, re-contextualizing, and experimentation? While the exploration of extreme limits and conditions is fascinating, is it justified to subject these short films to such rigorous circumstances indefinitely? The answer may be affirmative or negative; it's subjective.
As a filmmaker, my role is perpetually centred around seeking rather than providing definitive answers. While an ultimate, fatal final act might induce a catharsis, it will never wholly reconcile the escalating discord between life and cinema. After all, the films I will never make are me, and the ones I've already made are my mistakes.
