American New Wave 25: Braden King

I can safely make the mention that, my next profiled filmmaker will premiere his feature film debut somewhere between Venice/TIFF of this year all the way up to Sundance/Berlin/Cannes of next. Filmmaker Braden King has so many other endeavours occupying his time that it’s not wonder that HERE, a project first conceived around 2005 is now beginning to see the light…and is producing some offspring of its own. King recently featured a “deconstruction” of his film at a MoMA event called Here [The Story Sleeps] and in a recent profile for IndieWIRE, mentioned that he is keen on developing the project further (think a more accessible Peter Greenaway). Before I get into King’s bio, what is impressive about the project (and worth mentioning) is the incredible, almost abnormal, who’s who amount of support it has received: Creative Capital Foundation (2005), IFP/No Borders (2005), Rotterdam’s Cinemart Producer’s Lab (2007), Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2007), Sundance Institute (Directors and Screenwriters Labs of 2007), Rockefeller/Renew Media/Tribeca Film Institute Fellowship (2008), Sundance/NHK Int. Filmmakers Award (2008) and Cannes Film Festival Atelier (2008).

Between his 1998 debut doc Dutch Harbor: Where the Sea Breaks Its Back, 2009’s Home Video (a Lunchfilms’ project filmed on Beta) and documentary film Homeland: The Story of the Lark (co-released with Laurie Anderson’s new album), King has been thriving by working on different formats (avant-garde work in photography, on installation pieces and music). This kind of deviance towards a more experimental sense of storytelling and visual and aural aesthetic, almost guarantees that this shot in Armenia, road trip romantic encounter will be of a different nature – one that truly explores the senses. See for yourself.

Photo Credit: Sergo Ustian