synopsis (150 words)

Tethered to the netherworld of ghosts, muses, and dreams, a poet transforms
his lament over the tragic death and loss of his friend and fellow artist into an
epic work of literature. In 1908 Rainer Maria Rilke wrote his "Requiem For a Friend"
over two dream-filled nights at the Hotel Biron in Paris. A hundred years later an
experimental theatre group in Berkeley California prepares to stage his “Requiem”
as an avante garde performance ritual. Time shifts to and fro as impressions of the
contemporary era begin haunting Rilke's night dreams and consequently, inspiring
the creative processes of writing his tribute to artist Paula Modersohn-Becker, who
unexpectedly died eighteen days after birthing her first child. Part bio-pic and
narrative fiction, “The Greater Circulation” is a cinematic treatment of Rilke’s
powerful prose addressing the central drama of all women who feel torn
between sacrificing their lives to their Art or to Motherhood.

director's notes

There were several daunting challenges in bringing the written work of Rainer Maria Rilke into cinema, the least of which was staying true to the ineffable spirit his poetry conveys. There was also the issue of density. Rilke's "Requiem For a Friend" is exceedingly rich with ideas, feelings, and images. For the audience to fully hear and assimilate these impressions, Ihad to create more space between his powerful thoughts. To do this I presented his "Requiem" in segments throughout the film interspersed between the dialogues of characters in the present day drama who were staging his lament, while Rilke himself was writing it a hundred years earlier in a Paris hotel room!

Time dissolves in dreams and in Rilke's dreams feminine muses appear using the personas of the present day performers to speak to him and inspire him. The reality of dreams and how they act on our conscious waking lives has always fascinated me, especially those influences that carry on from the dream world into the creation of art, poetry and cinema. In my own dreams, I have been shown that the only art that comes from "conscious mind" is dead art. -- Antero Alli

 

 

SCREENING HISTORY

2005

Thursday November 10th, 2005, 8pm.
21 Grand, Oakland CA
World premiere

Thursday December 1st,2005, 8pm.
Berkeley Art Center, Berkeley CA
Berkeley premiere

2006

Thursday January 19th, 2006, 7pm and 9pm
Red Poppy Arthouse, San Francisco CA
S.F. premiere

Thursday February 9th, 8pm
21 Grand, Oakland CA

Sunday February 12th, 8pm
Fools Foundation Gallery, Sacramento CA
Sacramento premiere

Monday February 13th, 7:35pm
The Magic Theatre, Nevada City CA
Nevada City premiere

Sunday February 19th, 1pm
The Rose Theatre, Port Townsend WA
Pacific Northwest premiere

Wednesday February 22nd, 8pm
NorthWest Film Forum, Seattle WA
Seattle premiere

Friday February 24th, 9pm
Hollywood Theatre, Portland OR
Portland premiere

Friday & Saturday May 19 & 20, 7:35pm
The Magic Theatre, Nevada City CA

Friday May 26, 8pm
A.T.A., San Francisco CA

2007

Friday March 30, 8pm.
Grace North Church, 2138 Cedar, Berkeley CA

August 31st, 8pm
Caifornia Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco CA

2008

Friday October 10, 7pm.
Diva Center , Eugene OR

2009

Friday December 18, 8pm.
Grace North Church Sanctuary, Berkeley CA

2010

Wednesday March 31st, 7:30pm.
Humanist Hall , Oakland CA

 

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