Director: Michael P. Aust, Tessa Knapp
With: Irmin Schmidt, Hildegard Schmidt, Holger Czukay, Michael Karoli, Jaki Liebezeit, Malcolm Mooney, Damo Suzuki, Brian Eno, Wim Wenders
Language: German, English, Hebrew subtitles
Tribute to Irmin Schmidt
The film will be screened as part of a special tribute to the avant-garde composer and legendary keyboardist Irmin Schmidt, who is best known as a founding member of German avant-garde rock group and electronic music pioneers CAN.
After a classical education as pianist, conductor and composer, Irmin Schmidt - who studied under Stockhausen and Ligeti - established CAN in the late 60s combining contemporary classical music with rock and jazz. CAN’s unparalleled genius remains unquestioned, timeless and immeasurably influential. Schmidt’s post-CAN career was no less groundbreaking, featuring solo albums, diverse collaborations, the opera Gormenghast, as well as extensive and award-winning film soundtrack work.
CAN and Me
What does 'sound' mean? What does 'silence' mean? An intimate presentation of the life and work of Irmin Schmidt, founder of the German band CAN whose individual style shaped generations of musicians in pop and electronic music. The film follows his path from being a classical conductor to being a pupil of famous composers Karl-Heinz Stockhausen and György Ligeti, from CAN, his work on film scores, opera, and finally his love for electronic club music. The film thrives especially on its cinematic value, embedding footage of a time that now, with its inclination to eccentricity and musical adventures, seems colorful and crazy.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Irmin Schmidt (video) and special guest director Michael P. Aust (on stage) hosted by film director and editor Morris Ben-Mayor.
Total duration of the event approx. 120 minutes.