In the film, a man drags three children uphill in a creaking shopping cart—a desperate yet inevitable movement. Where are they going? Is there a way out? Both the poem and the film ask the same question: how long will history keep repeating itself, and is there still hope on the brink of collapse?
Director statement
In my film, Sándor Weöres’ poem “20th-Century Fresco” (orig. title XX. Századi Freskó) comes to life—an apocalyptic vision evoking the eternal cycle of history, the painful dialectic of destruction and rebirth. The imagery of the poem remains eerily relevant today: Europe is once again teetering on the edge of uncertainty, the shadow of war looms over us, and we do not know where the road leads.
In the film, a man drags three children uphill in a creaking shopping cart—a desperate yet inevitable movement. Where are they going? Is there a way out? Both the poem and the film ask the same question: how long will history keep repeating itself, and is there still hope on the brink of collapse?
Poetry and cinema intertwine here to hold a mirror to our present—a world where uncertainty has become a part of everyday life. This film does not provide answers; it merely raises the questions that live within us all.
Bio
Róbert Bordás is a Hungarian cinematographer and photographer responsible for the cinematography of numerous documentaries and feature films. His work includes films such as “Land of Warm Waters” (2021), “Ghetto Balboa” (2018), “Tales from Teleki Square” (2018), “The 11th Life” (2007), “Escape into Love” (2006), “Like the Bees” (2004), and “Crooked Necrology” (2004). (port.hu)
His accolades include the László Kovács–Vilmos Zsigmond Award and the Hungarian Film Award, both of which he received for his cinematography in the documentary “Ghetto Balboa”. https://cinematographerawards.hu
Róbert Bordás’ work has had a significant impact on the Hungarian documentary film scene, and he is a recognized figure in the country’s cinematography community.
Pebbles Underground is focused on showcasing and promoting experimental, avant-garde, underground, and no-to-low budget projects by artist-humans from all over the world. Absurd, uncanny, witty, humorous, slow-video – all are welcomed, and loved.
Pebbles Underground is an independent project not funded by any government or corporation, and we intend to keep it that way. Main source of funding is personal donations from humans organizing the project, who are artists themselves, and the main drive of the project is formed by the energy and involvement of the organizers, and the public.
