Pierres chantantes d’Ayorou / Ayorouské spievajúce kamene / The Singing Stones of Ayorou
documentary / 1968 / Niger, France / col. / 7 min.
Director: Jean Rouch
Screenplay: Jean Rouch
Photography: Jean Rouch
Editor: Jean Rouch
An experimental visual-acoustic study of rhythm that makes use of an unusual percussion instrument. The “singing stones” are large rock formations with cupules on them that people play on the island of Ayorou Goungo in Niger. Rouch plays with a combination of traditional and modern music. This interesting phenomenon of “instrumental” objects from nature has become a part of European art. (source: Ji.hlava IDFF)
Batteries dogon. Élémentspour une étude des rythmes / Dogonské bubny / Dogon Drums
documentary / 1965 / Mali, France / col. / 27 min.
Director: Jean Rouch, Gilbert Rouget, Germaine Dieterlen
Screenplay: Gilbert Rouget, Jean Rouch, Germaine Dieterlen
Photography: Jean Rouch
Editor: Jean Rouch
Music: Dogoni • Dogons
This ethno-musical study, filmed among the Dogon people on the Bandiagara cliffs, captures the process of learning the traditional art of playing the “drums of the ancestors”. The film is also an excellent example of meticulous editing, used to give a sense of rhythm to the sound and the images in order to create an uncommon experience. (source: Ji.hlava IDFF)
Rythmes de travail / Pracovné rytmy / Work Rhythms
documentary / 1973 / Niger, France / col. / 10 min.
Director: Jean Rouch
Screenplay: Jean Rouch
Photography: Jean Rouch
Editor: Jean Rouch
A cinematic experiment consisting of three excerpts from various films on the subject of working rhythm. In this spirit, we see grinding grain, clearing a field, and a “pagan” dance at the end of a possession ritual. Each activity is seen on the basis of a rhythm, such as the sound of the mortar or the song of the farmers. (source: Ji.hlava IDFF)
Cousin, cousine / Bratranec, sesternica
fiction / 1987 / France, Italy, Niger / col. / 31 min.
Director: Jean Rouch
Screenplay: Jean Rouch, Damouré Zika, Mariama Hima
Photography: Jean Rouch
Editor: Jean Rouch
Cast: Damouré Zika, Mariama Hima
Mariama and Damouré find themselves in Venice, where they look for a relic or fetish that has been lost here a long time ago, like in one of Gentile Bellini’s famous paintings. Mariama also shows her cousin a workshop where gondolas are made, and they talk about the strange Venetians who live on the water. (source: Ji.hlava IDFF)