Unspoken Cinema

(Illustration by Benoit Rouilly) Thanks for following this 5 months-long series of posts on Zen aesthetics in Contemplative Cinema! Here are all the links, first the main series by chapters: Contemplative Filmmaking in Zen Aesthetics  (1 to 7) Contemplative Editing With Zen Aesthetics  (1 to 5) Zen Concepts in Contemplative Performance  (1 to 4) Zen Aesthetics through Contemplative Spectatorship  (1 to 9) Then, each individual post, broken down by chapters: FILMMAKING Yohaku: Contemplative Filmmaking in Zen Aesthetics (1) Fukinsei: Contemplative Filmmaking in Zen Aesthetics (2) Hei: Contemplative Filmmaking in Zen Aesthetics (3) Miegakure: Contemplative Filmmaking in Zen Aesthetics (4) So: Contemplative Filmmaking in Zen Aesthetics (5) Shibui: Contemplative Filmmaking in Zen Aesthetics (6) Mono no Aware: Contemplative Filmmaking in Zen Aesthetics (7) EDITING Ma: Contemplative Editing With Zen Aesthetics (1) Jikan: Contemplative Editing With Zen Aesthetics (2) Jo-Ha-K...

Otro enlace en la página de la  Biblioteca de Unspoken Cinema: "[..] Tuttle termina su argumento afirmando que si queremos comprender el cine contemplativo contemporáneo necesitamos ir más allá de la herencia del neorrealismo y el cine moderno: “Hasta ese momento, no aprenderemos nada nuevo de estos cineastas innovadores”." "[..] Nosotros partimos de esa vacilación, de esa incertidumbre que suscita este cine interesante más allá de la narración con la intención de crear un marco analítico, teórico, pero también crítico, con el que buscamos comprender, describir e interpretar un cine interesante. Siendo conscientes de que para comprender las transformaciones estéticas de las obras de estos cineastas debemos ir más allá, no solo de la narración, “sino del territorio de la cinefilia, para dialogar con el mundo del arte, de la filosofía, de la literatura o del teatro contemporáneo”" Posnarrativo, el cine más allá de la narración Horacio Muñoz Fernández, 2015

 Claude Sonnet 4.0:  These essays explore how ancient Japanese aesthetic principles illuminate the art of contemplative cinema. Through pregnant silences, intentional asymmetries, elevation of the ordinary, strategic concealment, natural authenticity, understated refinement, and bittersweet impermanence, we discover how Zen wisdom transforms the moving image into a vehicle for deeper seeing and mindful presence. Each principle offers filmmakers and viewers alike a pathway to cinema that contemplates rather than consumes, revealing profound truths through patient observation and aesthetic restraint. 物の哀れ MONO NO AWARE Bittersweet awareness of impermanence Mono No Aware, literally meaning "the pathos of things," represents the aesthetic principle that finds beauty in the transient nature of existence and the bittersweet awareness of impermanence that underlies all experience. Unlike Western philosophical traditions that often view change as loss or failure to achieve permanence...

Latest addition to the Library Page at Unspoken Cinema: Time and the Everyday in Slow Cinema examines the phenomenon of Slow cinema, a style defined by its lingering focus on quotidian activities and extended durations. Rosa Barotsi argues that while the style emerges from a tradition of durational filmmaking and resonates with movements advocating for deceleration, it is also deeply entangled in the structures of late capitalism, creating a dynamic tension between radicalism and conservatism. This book situates the trend between artistic innovation and institutional commodification, ultimately raising critical questions about spectatorship, cinematic time, and the politics of cultural value. Time and the Everyday in Slow Cinema ; 8 july 2025 Rosa Barotsi / Germany

Claude Sonnet 4.0:  These essays explore how ancient Japanese aesthetic principles illuminate the art of contemplative cinema. Through pregnant silences, intentional asymmetries, elevation of the ordinary, strategic concealment, natural authenticity, understated refinement, and bittersweet impermanence, we discover how Zen wisdom transforms the moving image into a vehicle for deeper seeing and mindful presence. Each principle offers filmmakers and viewers alike a pathway to cinema that contemplates rather than consumes, revealing profound truths through patient observation and aesthetic restraint. 渋い SHIBUI Understated elegance Shibui, often translated as "subtle" or "unobtrusive beauty," represents an aesthetic principle that values restrained elegance and understated sophistication over obvious display or immediate impact. Unlike Western concepts of beauty that often emphasize dramatic effect and instant recognition, Shibui celebrates qualities that reveal themsel...

"Slow Cinema stands as a radical act of defiance [..]  Gen Z viewers are turning to this form of cinema—not despite its slowness, but because of it. [..] The endurance of Slow Cinema suggests that it offers something modern audiences still need, a space for contemplation, a break from the hyperactive rhythms of digital culture, and an opportunity to experience time differently.  [..] Cinematic theorists argue that films embracing time and perception will always have an enduring appeal."  The slow revolution: how Gen z is falling in love with stillness on screen (Rocio Canabal Cerqueiro ; 18 March 2025; Pac Mag)

    Claude Sonnet 4.0:  These essays explore how ancient Japanese aesthetic principles illuminate the art of contemplative cinema. Through pregnant silences, intentional asymmetries, elevation of the ordinary, strategic concealment, natural authenticity, understated refinement, and bittersweet impermanence, we discover how Zen wisdom transforms the moving image into a vehicle for deeper seeing and mindful presence. Each principle offers filmmakers and viewers alike a pathway to cinema that contemplates rather than consumes, revealing profound truths through patient observation and aesthetic restraint. 素 SO Beauty of Natural Simplicity So, meaning "plain," "natural," or "unadorned," embodies the aesthetic principle that finds profound beauty in materials and forms that remain close to their original state without artificial enhancement or decorative elaboration. Unlike Western artistic traditions that often value transformation and embellishment as signs of...

  Film In Conversation/ Tsai Ming-liang (YouTube) 1h08' (QAGOMA) 1st April 2025 As part of Asia Pacific Triennial Cinema, Taiwan-based Malaysian filmmaker Tsai Ming-liang joined us for an Australian-exclusive in-person In Conversation event. Celebrated as one of the greatest living directors and a key figure in the second wave of Taiwan New Cinema, Tsai has re-shaped understandings of the artform through his feature films (including the Golden Lion-winning 'Vive L’Amour' 1994 and the ghostly masterpiece 'Goodbye, Dragon Inn' 2003), his innovative video works and his mesmerising 'Walker' series. Tsai Ming-liang discusses his acclaimed career, his long-standing creative partnership with Lee Kang-sheng and his singular vision of cinema. Recorded at the Australian Cinémathèque, Gallery of Modern Art (Sun 1 Dec 2024) Moderated by Robert Hughes, Associate Curator, Australian Cinémathèque 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (30 Nov 2024 – 27 Apr 2025) Q...

   Claude Sonnet 4.0:  These essays explore how ancient Japanese aesthetic principles illuminate the art of contemplative cinema. Through pregnant silences, intentional asymmetries, elevation of the ordinary, strategic concealment, natural authenticity, understated refinement, and bittersweet impermanence, we discover how Zen wisdom transforms the moving image into a vehicle for deeper seeing and mindful presence. Each principle offers filmmakers and viewers alike a pathway to cinema that contemplates rather than consumes, revealing profound truths through patient observation and aesthetic restraint. 見え隠れ MIEGAKURE Partial concealment Miegakure, literally meaning "hide and reveal" or "glimpsed and hidden," embodies the aesthetic principle of partial concealment that creates beauty through the interplay between what is shown and what remains hidden from view. Unlike Western artistic traditions that often prioritize complete revelation and clear visibility, Miegakure ...

  Video Essay: "Days Passed" | Lee Kang-Sheng Through the Eyes of Tsai Ming-Liang  (YouTube) 3'22" (MUBI) 20 Nov 2020 "Days Passed: Lee Kang-Sheng Through the Eyes of Tsai Ming-Liang" by Michelle Cho  A video essay exploring the fragile passage of time through the shifting textures of Lee Kang-Sheng's face in the films of Tsai Ming-Liang.  A double bill focused on Tsai Ming-liang and Lee Kang-sheng is currently showing on MUBI US: https://mubi.com/specials/tsai-lee   "Presented in this double bill are two of the duo’s early standouts, Vive L’amour and The River. Vive L’amour is is a three-fold tale of urban alienation in the vein of Antonioni, steeped in an eroticism that is led by Lee’s sense of quiet longing. The River sees the actor apply his deadpan style to Tsai’s bleak and metaphysical vision of the nuclear family. Made immediately after their joint debut feature, Rebels of the Neon God, these two films are cornerstones of one of the most inf...

  Claude Sonnet 4.0:  These essays explore how ancient Japanese aesthetic principles illuminate the art of contemplative cinema. Through pregnant silences, intentional asymmetries, elevation of the ordinary, strategic concealment, natural authenticity, understated refinement, and bittersweet impermanence, we discover how Zen wisdom transforms the moving image into a vehicle for deeper seeing and mindful presence. Each principle offers filmmakers and viewers alike a pathway to cinema that contemplates rather than consumes, revealing profound truths through patient observation and aesthetic restraint. 並 HEI Finding significance in the mundane Hei, meaning "parallel" or "alongside," represents the aesthetic principle of creating visual and conceptual harmony through the careful arrangement of elements that maintain equal status while existing in productive relationship to one another. Unlike hierarchical compositions that establish dominant focal points, Hei celebrates...

The Great Moose Migration on SVT (Swedish Public Television) A 24h/7 SlowTV program was between April 15th 2025 and May 4th 2025  ( all episodes available online worldwide until 2027) The story of the Great Moose Migration on SVT (English) 17' On Swedish TV every Spring since 2019. Slow TV at Unspoken Cinema: Slow TV

 Claude Sonnet 4.0:  These essays explore how ancient Japanese aesthetic principles illuminate the art of contemplative cinema. Through pregnant silences, intentional asymmetries, elevation of the ordinary, strategic concealment, natural authenticity, understated refinement, and bittersweet impermanence, we discover how Zen wisdom transforms the moving image into a vehicle for deeper seeing and mindful presence. Each principle offers filmmakers and viewers alike a pathway to cinema that contemplates rather than consumes, revealing profound truths through patient observation and aesthetic restraint. 不均整 FUKINSEI Intentional imbalance Fukinsei, meaning "asymmetry" or "irregularity," embodies the Japanese aesthetic principle that finds beauty in imbalance and imperfection rather than in classical Western ideals of symmetrical harmony. Unlike symmetrical compositions that create static equilibrium through mirrored elements, Fukinsei celebrates dynamic balance achieved t...

Dernière addition à la page Bibliographie : "Une époque de calme ne fait jamais naître l'ennui profond. C'est le temps de l'histoire et de la révolution justement, riche en événements, mais non propice à un état de durée et de répétition, qui est sujet à créer de l'ennui. La moindre répétition y est perçue comme monotonie. L'ennui n'est pas le contraire de l'action déterminée. Ils sont la condition mutuelle de leur existence. La détermination à agir approfondit l'ennui. [..] Le temps lui-même se vide. Il n'est source d'aucune gravitation qui lie et rassemble. La cause de l'ennui est finalement attribué au vide du temps . Le temps ne comble plus. La seule liberté du sujet agissant ne produit aucune gravitation temporelle. Un intervalle vide qui crée l'ennui naît dans l'espace où son impulsion d'action ne se tourne vers aucun nouvel objet. Le temps comblé n'est pas nécessairement riche en événements et en changements. C...

Claude Sonnet 4.0: These essays explore how ancient Japanese aesthetic principles illuminate the art of contemplative cinema. Through pregnant silences, intentional asymmetries, elevation of the ordinary, strategic concealment, natural authenticity, understated refinement, and bittersweet impermanence, we discover how Zen wisdom transforms the moving image into a vehicle for deeper seeing and mindful presence. Each principle offers filmmakers and viewers alike a pathway to cinema that contemplates rather than consumes, revealing profound truths through patient observation and aesthetic restraint. 余白 YOHAKU Negative space Yohaku, literally meaning "blank space" or "margin," represents the deliberate cultivation of emptiness as an active compositional element that carries equal weight to filled areas in Japanese aesthetic philosophy. Unlike Western artistic traditions that often view blank space as neutral background or wasted opportunity, Yohaku treats emptiness as p...