Owner’s Portrait

synopsis

A fable-like documentary composed of footage from different corners of the planet juxtaposes animals and humans like two separate yet connected universes. Virtually without speech, with a heavy emphasis on the audio component, it tells the story of an island of untamed cats and mysterious antennas that broadcast to the world on long-wave radio a call for liberation from the economic and social ties that bind us. Everywhere the radio waves reach, we see static shots of human bondage and animal freedom, and by linking these contrasting images, an Eisenstein-style montage emerges, with new cinematic meaning.

„Everything started with an image in my head: a world without pets. That image became a documentary essay with a science fiction atmosphere, about freedom, work, domestic animals and societies in capitalism.“ J. Maito

biography

Joaquín Maito (1987) is an independent filmmaker from Argentina. Together with Tatiana Mazú, he filmed the documentary The State of Things in 2012, which was selected for screening at the Argentinian Mar del Plata International Film Festival. The film focuses on the auction of items from people’s estates – the process of assigning a value to items that meant everything to their original owners but which for buyers have only the value expressed in the terms of sale.

more about film

contact

ANTES MUERTO CINE / Joaquín Maito / Fray Cayetano 1020 / C.A.B.A. / Argentina / +54 9 112 391 1199 / jmmaito@hotmail.com