Sylvain Lavigne from Montreal, along with his two collaborators, Ianic
Mathieu and Janick Lavoie, has launched an event called the Grettir
Kabarett. The Canadian based Kino organisation invites members from
around the world to meet in Reykjavik to collaborate with local
artists, filmmakers, actors, and musicians in order to make films in 72
hours.



The Hypothesis

According to legend, Kino started in early 1999 in Montreal when a
simple bet was waged between friends: produce an original short film
every month until the new millennium and the end of the world. A year
later, they were disappointed to learn that the Apocalypse had been
postponed, but true to their word, and two hundred short films later,
the Kino concept was born.

    Laboratory Theatre is always a challenge. Fuelled on a creative
spirit and founded on buzzwords like ‘Organic’ ‘Fused’ and
‘Collaborative’, the European trend for time-based devised theatre has
bred its way around the world.  Thankfully, this idea has finally found
its way into interactive film events, where half the joy is not in the
finished article, it is in the art of making of the work itself.



The Formula

Every morning during the Kino Kabaret, a brainstorming session takes
place at the ‘Kinolab’- a veritable ‘Bat Cave’ for filmmakers. The
teams are formed and the rest is left to cinematic chance. “It’s like
putting a party together.” Sylvain comments “You know where and when
and what to bring, but then you have go with the flow.” Collaboration
between the hosting city’s artists and the Kinoïtes (Kino members) is
the ultimate goal.

    The challenge for these newly formed teams is to produce forty-five
minutes of original programming with no fighting or using pre-made
dialogue, scripts or footage. “Inspired by kinè, a Greek word meaning
movement, KINO is Independence and Freedom of Expression.” Their
mission is to assemble artists who believe that the importance of a
cinematographic work does not rest on the amount of its production
budget; the real test is in the simultaneous fusion of different egos,
creative visions and improvisational work styles.



The Catalyst

When a lab experiment is finished, there is always an unveiling. The
catalyst for great Kino film is the challenge to have the films
complete for open screenings hosted by the Kinoïtes every seventy-two
hours. As well as releasing their fledgling films into the Kabaret
ambiance with cocktails and constructive criticism, each director is
encouraged to muse over their new work and answer questions about their
journeys and respective methodologies.



The Results        

As creativity goes, it is better to expect the unexpected. “There are
gems and crap, you invite everyone and they give it their best shot.”
Sylvain explains “It’s part of the spirit of the event, there are
wonderful surprises. In Berlin there was a French breadmaker who got
inspired by a screening, and decided he wanted to make a Kino. It
wasn’t the most wonderful piece, but it wasn’t bad. Now he can go back
to his bakery, and say he made a film- that’s a wonderful thing.
Another guy came across the Reykjavik Kabaret, got adopted by a group
and ended up in front of the camera–he now has an agent and is working
in television.” Although Kino does not promise automatic stardom or
baked goods, it can offer a new challenge for film and theatre artists
from various backgrounds around the world, and a great chance to share
talents with a public audience.



INFO

The Kino Kabaret is a year-long organization with over fifty
independently running chapters in fourteen countries and four
continents. The fifth annual Reykjavik International Film Festival
(September 25-October 5, 2008) is host to this year’s Kabaret. For more
information please see http://kino00.com.