Hacking at Leaves

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Hacking at Leaves
Directed byJohannes Grenzfurthner
Written byJohannes Grenzfurthner
Produced by Jasmin Hagendorfer, Günther Friesinger, Johannes Grenzfurthner
StarringJohannes Grenzfurthner, Max Grodénchik, Morningstar Angeline, Chase Masterson
CinematographyFlorian Hofer, Daniel Hyde, Günther Friesinger
Edited bySebastian Schreiner
Music byDavid Hebenstreit (aka Sir Tralala)
Production
company
monochrom
Release date
  • 2024 (2024)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryAustria
LanguagesEnglish, Navajo

Hacking at Leaves is a 2024 Austrian documentary film directed and written by Johannes Grenzfurthner. It explores various themes including the United States' colonial past, Navajo tribal history, and the hacker movement, through the lens of the story of a hackerspace in Durango, Colorado, during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was produced by monochrom. [1]

Contents

Plot

Max Grodenchik as Uncle Sam in a behind-the-scenes photograph taken during the shooting of 'Hacking at Leaves', 2021 Max Grodenchik as Uncle Sam in a behind-the-scenes photograph taken during the shooting of 'Hacking at Leaves', 2021.jpg
Max Grodénchik as Uncle Sam in a behind-the-scenes photograph taken during the shooting of 'Hacking at Leaves', 2021

Hacking at Leaves features Austrian artist and filmmaker Johannes Grenzfurthner as both host and director, blending documentary and fiction to delve into themes of optimism, freedom, settler colonialism, pandemics, and societal collapse within the American context. [2]

The film introduces a fictional element to convey its message. Grenzfurthner, clad in a yellow radiation suit, sits in a 1970s-style control room (which he refers to as his "flat"), contemplating whether he should create a documentary about a makerspace at the Powerhouse Science Center in Durango, Colorado. This makerspace played a pivotal role in the global response to COVID-19 by producing medical equipment for the hard-hit Navajo Nation. However, Grenzfurthner is deterred by the thought that the content might be too depressing, and he doubts his ability to "sell it to Netflix." Uncle Sam (performed by Max Grodénchik) appears, demanding that Grenzfurthner create an 'invigorating tale' about the 'spirit of freedom, the endless beauty of the American Southwest, and a forceful statement against collapse.' He seeks a 'true American story.'
Reluctantly, Grenzfurthner agrees to make the documentary, albeit with the intention of educating the audience about the downsides of the "American story" and colonialism. He navigates the complexities of these subjects, incorporating perspectives from activists, artists, and tech enthusiasts. [3] The film draws connections between the Navajo community, hacker culture, and the DIY movement, suggesting that alternative approaches could facilitate societal transformation: "This is a story about communities. It narrates not only the history of the Navajo Community and its struggles but also the history of hacking and hackerspaces and how such communities function within mainstream culture." [4]

In an article in the Austrian magazine Profil , Grenzfurthner addresses the importance of the Overton window in discussing the contents of his documentary. [5]

Cast

Ryan Finnigan on the set of 'Hacking at Leaves' in Durango, Colorado, in May 2020. Ryan Finnigan on the set of 'Hacking at Leaves' in Durango, Colorado, in May 2020.png
Ryan Finnigan on the set of 'Hacking at Leaves' in Durango, Colorado, in May 2020.

Interviewees include Ryan Finnigan, Sunny Dooley, Stefan Yazzie, Jello Biafra, Cory Doctorow, Janene Yazzie, Karletta Chief, Erik Davis, Michael J. Epstein, Mitch Altman, Jason Scott, and many others.

Production

Behind-the-scenes image from the 'Hacking at Leaves' film shoot, featuring Johannes Grenzfurthner at the chimney of the Zwentendorf nuclear power station in 2020. Behind-the-scenes image from the 'Hacking at Leaves' film shoot featuring Johannes Grenzfurthner at the chimney of Zwentendorf nuclear power station in 2020.jpg
Behind-the-scenes image from the 'Hacking at Leaves' film shoot, featuring Johannes Grenzfurthner at the chimney of the Zwentendorf nuclear power station in 2020.

Grenzfurthner began working on the film in March 2020 and managed to collect all the interviews before the end of 2020. Due to the travel ban preventing Europeans from entering the United States, the director oversaw the shooting and interviewing processes remotely from his office in Vienna. He later began assembling the footage received from various collaborators with editor Sebastian Schreiner.

Grenzfurthner worked with Navajo cultural advisors like Manuelito Wheeler of the Navajo Nation Museum. [6] [7] [8]

The framing story was filmed in the winter of 2020/2021 at the Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant and in No Name City, a former Western theme park in Wöllersdorf-Steinabrückl.

Before the film's release but after completing principal photography, Grenzfurthner hosted an exhibition in Anger, Styria in May 2021 to showcase parts of his research. [9]

The film was supported by the Austrian Ministry of Culture as part of its program to support innovative film. [10]

Distribution

The film's world premiere took place at the Diagonale Film Festival in Graz, Austria, on April 6, 2024. [11] Film festivals like Ethnocineca (Vienna) [12] also screened the film. The United States premiere took place at the Hackers on Planet Earth conference on July 13, 2024. [13] The film was also screened as part of a special screening of Cucalorus Film Festival on August 8, 2024, [14] and was selected for Celludroid Film Festival 2024 (South Africa) and Red Nation Film Festival 2024.

Reception

Bradley Gibson of Film Threat gave the film 8/10 and summarizes that the film "explores the corruption eating away at the core of American social and political structures and provides yet another example of capitalism's dismal failures." [15] Journalist and media researcher Philipp Stadelmaier states, "This is not just about creating a 'movie,' but a toolkit that inspires DIY action. Anyone who wants to avert the apocalypse must let themselves be introduced to the technique of leaf hacking by Grenzfurthner, which aims to finally uproot a system that has been rotten for a long time." [16] Der Standard writes: "The wild essay Hacking at Leaves by Johannes Grenzfurthner explores the connection between Indigenous Americans and hacking culture, uncovering the original colonial sin of the USA." [17]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Hacking at Leaves" (review by Marina Pavido) in: Cinema Austriaco
  2. ↑ Erik Davis: Hacking at Leaves
  3. ↑ Propes, Richard (16 April 2024). "The Independent Critic - Movie Review: Hacking at Leaves". The Independent Critic. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  4. ↑ "Hacking at Leaves" in: Film Threat, 5 April 2024
  5. ↑ "Normalverschiebung mit Herrn O" in: Profil, 24 August 2023
  6. ↑ Johannes Grenzfurthner in: Materie #26
  7. ↑ Johannes Grenzfurthner in: Last Coffee Before Dying
  8. ↑ Johannes Grenzfurthner in: FM4 Film Podcast
  9. ↑ Hacking at Leaves in: Kleine Zeitung, 19 May 2021
  10. ↑ BMKOES Report 2021/22
  11. ↑ "Kunstaffines Diagonale-Programm unter neuer Leitung" in: Der Standard, 21 March 2024
  12. ↑ "HACKING AT LEAVES – ethnocineca" . Retrieved 2024-05-02.
  13. ↑ "Hacking at Leaves at HOPE XV".
  14. ↑ "Hacking at Leaves, WHQR".
  15. ↑ "Hacking at Leaves" in: Film Threat, 5 April 2024
  16. ↑ "Hacking at Leaves" in: Diagonale catalogue 2024
  17. ↑ "Das Ethnocineca-Filmfestival zeigt dokumentarische Ambivalenzen auf", Marian Wilhelm, Der Standard, 15 May 2024
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