The Curator’s Room, a documentary film dedicated to the art historian and curator Igor Zabel (1958–2005), focuses on Zabel’s work in the field of fine arts from the end of the 1980s to his death. Through the film, we learn how, in that epochal time – at the turn of the century and on the intersection of (post)modern and contemporary art, the local and international art space, socialism and capitalism, East and West, artistic and social/political –, he faced in his work not only great changes and conflicts, but also possibilities for the new.
The film portrays not only a man who, despite the internal contradictions of the art world, persistently believed in the power of art, but also the time and space in which Igor Zabel worked and which he co-shaped.
Director’s statement
“When Igor Zabel died in 2005, I was abroad. I opened my computer and saw a black-and-white photo of him on a portal. His sudden and unusual death resounded among all of us who work in art. This is not merely a film about Igor Zabel, but also a film about a time that brought essential shifts in the understanding and evaluation of art in the context of great social and political changes. In addition to the reflection on Zabel’s heritage, the film includes important documents that tell us how contemporary art was born and established in Slovenia and Eastern Europe.”
Damjan Kozole
| Producer: |
Vertigo, Zavod za kulturne dejavnosti |
| Director: |
Damjan Kozole |
| Script: |
Urška Jurman |
| Camera: |
Matjaž Mrak
|
| Editing: |
Jurij Moškon
|
| Director of photography: |
Matjaž Mrak |
| Others: |
Music: Laibach (Vor Sonnen-Untergang)
Sound designer: Julij Zornik |
Born in 1964, Brežice, Slovenia (then Yugoslavia). At the age of 22 made his debut with a low-budget film The Fatal Telephone, one of the first independent films in former Yugoslavia. His feature film Spare Parts (2003) won a nomination for the Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival (IFF) in 2003. The film won several international awards and was among candidates, selected by European Film Academy, for the best European film of that year. British film critic Peter Bradshaw wrote for the Guardian that Spare Parts was “one of the most powerful and provocative films of the year”. It has been released theatrically in around 15 states, incl. UK and USA. In 2004, Kozole participated in the international omnibus Visions of Europe (2004) together with 24 other European directors (among others with Fatih Akin, Sharunas Bartas, Peter Greenaway, Aki Kaurismaeki and Bela Tarr). In 2005, a retrospective of his feature films was hosted by American Film Institute. Films were shown in Washington (AFI Silver Springs), Chicago, New York, Boston, Cleveland, Vancouver and in Ottawa. His feature film Labour Equals Freedom (2005) premiered at Locarno IFF and was awarded the Golden Palm and Best director award at Valencia IFF in 2006. His eighth feature film Forever (2008) premiered at Rotterdam IFF 2008, while his last feature film, international co-production Slovenian Girl will be completed in April 2009. Kozole is one of the most prominent Slovenian film directors. He’s a voting member of European Film Academy.
