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    [EFF16P3] Prelude 3: Song of Ceylon: Wright/Farocki

    Cite as: Temple, Michael and Barrington, Matthew (2023): [EFF16P3] Prelude 3: Song of Ceylon: Wright/Farocki. Birkbeck College, University of London. doi: https://doi.org/10.18743/DATA.00000248

    Description

    26 February 2016, 18:00, Birkbeck Cinema

    A double bill screening and discussion with Jon Hoare, Kodwo Eshun and Doreen Mende.

    Films: Song of Ceylon, Basil Wright, UK, 1934, 35mm, 38 minutes, English
    “Made by the GPO Film Unit and sponsored by both the Empire Tea Marketing Board and the Ceylon Tea Board, Basil Wright’s Song of Ceylon is one of the most critically acclaimed products of the documentary film movement. It was hailed at the time of its release by author and film critic Graham Greene as a cinematic masterpiece, and it received the award for best film at the International Film Festival in Brussels, 1935. The film is a sophisticated documentary, notable for its experimentation with sound. It features crucial input from Alberto Cavalcanti, who helped with the soundtrack, as well as composer Walter Leigh, who experimented in the studio to create a number of sound effects.” (source: Screenonline)

    About Basil Wright’s “Song of Ceylon” [Über “Song of Ceylon” von Basil Wright], Harun Farocki, Germany, 1975, digital, 25 minutes, German with English subtitles
    This unique double bill also features acclaimed filmmaker and video artist Harun Farocki’s essay film about Song of Ceylon, made for German television in 1975. Described as a type of “Telecritik” or “tele-criticism”, Farocki’s essay analyses Wright’s film formally and historically in a fascinating and beautiful blend of film quotation, graphic illustration, and voiceover.

    With thanks to Antje Ehmann, and the British Film Institute.

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    Collection Method

    The Essay Film Festival ran between 2015 and 2023, and presented a global range of contemporary and restored essayistic works. The events are now archived here for research purposes.

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    Metadata

    Dataset Title:

    [EFF16P3] Prelude 3: Song of Ceylon: Wright/Farocki
    Creators:

    Temple, Michael and Barrington, Matthew
    Dataset Contributors:

    ContributionNameEmailORCID
    CollaboratorMcCabe, Janetj.mccabe@bbk.ac.ukORCID logohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2916-9876
    CollaboratorYapp, Emmaeyapp01@student.bbk.ac.ukORCID logohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2646-6066
    Subjects:

    Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
    Data collection method:

    The Essay Film Festival ran between 2015 and 2023, and presented a global range of contemporary and restored essayistic works. The events are now archived here for research purposes.
    Collection period:

    FromTo
    26 February 201626 February 2016
    Statement on legal, ethical, and access issues:

    All film stills were provided by participating artists.
    Depositing User: Emma Yapp
    Date Deposited: 13 Jul 2026 15:22
    Last Modified: 13 Jul 2026 15:22
    Publisher: Birkbeck College, University of London

    Export / Share Citation

    Cite as: Temple, Michael and Barrington, Matthew (2023): [EFF16P3] Prelude 3: Song of Ceylon: Wright/Farocki. Birkbeck College, University of London. doi: https://doi.org/10.18743/DATA.00000248

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