IOIC Night Session: «White Shadows in the South Seas»

Ever since the world was circumnavigated, the islands of the South Seas have been a projection screen for the longings of the so-called civilized world. The extent to which this longing also carries the seeds of the demise of the longed-for becomes painfully apparent in the feature film shot on Tahiti. The pearl traders shamelessly exploit the natives, and the newly introduced alcohol literally finishes them off. Only a doctor, himself addicted to firewater, stands up to the evil, but he is at a loss.

W.S. Van Dyke's film White Shadows in the South Seas (USA, 1928, 89 min) is a powerful swan song to the search for the ideal island and was awarded the Oscar for Best Cinematography in 1928. At the festival we will show the silent movie with a new soundtrack by Bitter Moon, the Zurich Tropical Electro Duo, with Réka Csiszér and Simone Bernardoni.