Homo sapiens

press release:

Homo Sapiens (2016, Austria, 94 min., Digital)

Dir: Nikolaus Geyrhalter 

A staggering documentary vision of the distant future, Homo Sapiens gives us an all-to-real glimpse of the world after mankind.  Travelling across the globe to sites like Fukushima and beyond, Nikolaus Geyrhalter (Our Daily Bread) photographs modern-day ruins: everyday man-made spaces that have been reclaimed by nature, as though hastily abandoned during some unnamed apocalypse.  Vegetation sprouts in decaying shopping malls; rivers course through shattered churches; birds nest in abandoned factories.  The only thing missing from these ghostly tableaux is us, present only in the detritus we leave behind.  Are office buildings, roller coasters, and parking lots destined to become our fossils?  Behold the first post-human documentary, eerily breathtaking and vast to contemplate.

This fall, the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) will premiere a powerhouse slate of acclaimed films to Madison audiences.  MMoCA’s Spotlight Cinema will show eight critically-celebrated and award-winning narrative features and documentaries from around the world, screening every Wednesday night from September 28 through November 16. Highlights include the winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival (Dheepan), the winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival (Sand Storm), and new work by master directors Hirokazu Kore-eda (After the Storm) and Nikolaus Geyrhalter  (Homo Sapiens).

​"MMoCA's Spotlight Cinema series is Madison’s chance to experience eight of the year’s most acclaimed and vital arthouse films on the big screen. These eight films comprise a wide-ranging survey of contemporary world cinema, including top prize-winners from Cannes and Sundance, new work by revered master directors, and envelope-pushing visions from the auteurs of tomorrow," stated Mike King, Guest Film Curator.

Spotlight Cinema is curated by Mike King, and is a program of MMoCA’s education department. Funding for the series has been provided by maiahaus, Venture Investors, LLC, and an anonymous donor. Ticket sales begin at 6:30 pm in the Museum lobby; films screen at 7 pm in the lecture hall. Admission is free for MMoCA members and $7 per screening for the general public.