Bereft of a Blissful Union

The blind Moroccan dancer Saïd Gharbi talks to a coat worn by an invisible figure; shards of amphoras sink underwater but then come together again as a vase; dancers drown in the water covered by a huge sheepskin on which a woman lies; women wearing dog masks pull men into the depths of the water, …

These absurd and surreal film images, inspired by Milorad Pavic’s story of Petkutin and Kalina, were part of the performance Bereft of a Blissful Union (1996). Both surprising and confusing, they introduce distant and strange worlds onto the screen and stage.

TEXTS & DIRECTION
Wim Vandekeybus

WITH
Iñaki Azpillaga, François Brice, Ursula Courtney-Robb, Carmelo Fernandez, Saïd Gharbi, Roni Haver, Mary Herbert, Thomas Lehnhart, Lieve Meeussen, Rasmus Olme, Florence Rougier, Ana Stegnar.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCTION
de Filmfabriek – Anne Quirynen

EDITING
Octavio Iturbe

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Philippe Guilbert

CAMERA ASSISTANT
Aliocha Van der Avoort

UNDERWATER CAMERA
Thierry Dabée

SOUND
Pierre Mertens

SOUND MIX
Etienne Curchod

ELECTRICIAN
Bruno Dussart, Christian Roosemont, Anne François

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Olivier De Laveleye

MASKS
Maggy Jacot

COSTUMES
Isabelle Lhoas

DECOR
Ultima Vez

Distribution
Ultima Vez
contact@ultimavez.com

Technical specifications
Year of production: 1996
Duration: 27'