ONLOOKERS a film by Professor Kimi Takesue Opens Theatrically in New York City at METROGRAPH
ONLOOKERS:
ONLOOKERS offers a visually striking, immersive meditation on travel and tourism in Laos, reflecting on how we all live as observers. Traversing the country’s dusty roads and tranquil rivers, we watch as elaborate painterly tableaus unfold, revealing the whimsical and at times disruptive interweaving of locals and foreigners in rest and play.
ONLOOKERS transports viewers on a sensorial journey of deep looking and listening, inviting audiences to reflect on their own modes of tourism, while asking the looming existential questions: Why do we travel? What do we seek? (72 minutes / 2023)
Opens Theatrically in New York City at METROGRAPH: Feb. 16-22, 2024
7 Ludlow Street, New York City
In-Person Screenings with Director in Attendance:
Fri. Feb. 16 / 8:30pm + Kimi in conversation w/ INNEY PRAKASH, curator
Sat. Feb. 17 / 6:00pm + Kimi in conversation w/ DESSANE LOPEZ CASSELL, curator/writer
Sun. Feb. 18 / 7:10pm + Kimi in conversation w/ LYNNE SACHS, filmmaker
Wed. Feb. 21 / 6:45pm + Kimi in conversation w/ ARI DUONG NGUYEN, writer
PRESS:
“A wry and at times uproarious ethnographic work…revelatory!”
-Michael Sicinski , FILM COMMENT”Visually-stunning! ….showcases how tourism can have an effect on a country and its local people.”
-Charles Barfield, THE PLAYLIST
“Compelling! …Through a series of consistent wide shots, the camera never moving, to a sound tableau that picks up the most subtle touristic rustling…Onlookers not only grabs your gaze almost subconsciously, but it also elicits nostalgia and self-reflection of one’s own such experiences.” – MODERN TIMES REVIEW
“Onlookers is a novel exercise in audio and visual presentation…If you’re looking for a new kind of travel film, this is for you.”
-Benjamin Franz, FILM THREAT
