Kaia Hugin

Motholic mobble part 3 DV, 6'38'', 2009 Norway

Tell me something about you and artistic background.
I am a MA student at Bergen National Academy of the Arts. My background is from studies in art history and contemporary dance. Exploration and a mixing of cinematic elements with choreography, performance and sound are central elements in my productions. I believe my work is a balance between dark existentialist questions and the humorous.

Tell me about this film, initial idea and work process.
This film was hard to make! We produce a “real film trick” where I dig myself down in a hole by the use of my body. Exploration of storytelling and time is central in this piece, and I believe it’s both desperate and humorous. All the shots had to be done in one afternoon continuously, because I wanted the natural sunset to be a part of the scenery and to underline the time aspect of the story. Many takes went wrong, and we had to travel back to the location in Spain three times until we finally got the right material. We used only one camera, so the photographer had to rush between different positions, including climbing a high tree to get the right angels. And this range of positions he had to repeat over and over again until I finally disappeared under the ground.. It was a great experience to make this film, although I still have scares on my body after all the digging.

Are you working on new projects at the moment?
Currently I’m working on my MA project. It’s a video installation inspired by the idea of “a completely white stone” (Tarjei Vesaas) mixed with elements from the horror genre. I’m also working on a script for a new Motholic mobble film.

Do you have specific influences in your film/video making?
David Attenborough’s enthusiasm for nature is of great inspiration to me. And yesterday I watched Orson Welles’s adaptation of “The Trial” by Franz Kafka. Wonderful film, I really recommend it!

Why is it important for you to show your film/video in a festival?
Festivals are great, you can send your films out in the world and they start to live a life of their own. I wish to share my pieces with those who would like to watch.

What role do you think Oslo Screen Festival should have to promote your work?
I am grateful to participate at Oslo Screen Festival. I think they do a great job promoting video art in Norway and also abroad with their “Special selections”. The festival is highly professional and has very good screening conditions at Filmens Hus.