Echo of Falling Man (Harm Weistra & Eddi Bal)
2017
Vertically framed one-channel animation, 2'54'' (screened as a loop)
With the work Echo of Falling Man, the artists Harm Weistra & Eddi Bal ‘reanimate’ a picture of one of the unidentified gay men, killed by ISIS by throwing them off buildings. The work can be seen as an afterimage, mirroring the iconic Richard Drew photo of a ‘falling man’, who jumped out of the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks in New York. On a deeper level, the animation symbolizes the relationship between the Al-Qaeda attacks in New York and the terror ISIS spread through the Middle East.
Intrinsic Moral Evil
2013
Film - 1-channel video. 10'45''
Intrinsic Moral Evil seems to be a tale of identity and coming of age. But above all, the three dancers play with the viewer’s perception and expectations: is it a memory, a dream, a search for identity ? Is it about losing friendship or about growing up? The layered story gradually develops; revealing its last secrets just before the end credits start. Inviting the audience to reflect and to make its own interpretation.
Intrinsic Moral Evil
Awards – Best Short Film in various categories
2022 Best Debut Director, Great Message Int. Film Festival, Mumbai, (IN)
2022 Best Screenplay (Short), Great Message Int. Film Festival, Mumbai, (IN)
2021 Best Trio, Dancentric Film Festival, Altamonte Springs, FL (US)
2020 Best International Short, LGBTQ Unbordered Int. Film Festival, Nassau (US)
2020 Best International Dance Movie, DanzaTTack, Tenerife (ES)
2020 Best Short, KOQIX INDIE FEST, Torino (IT)
2019 Audience Award, Dance On Screen Film Festival, Graz (AT)
2019 Best LGBT, The Hague Global Cinema Festival, The Hague (NL)
2019 Best Experimental, Malmö International LGBTQ+ Short Film Festival, Malmö (SE)
2018 Best LGBT, Sierra International Film Weekend, Santa Cruz de la Sierra (BO)
2018 Best LGBT, Short Long World Festival, Corrientes, (AR)
2018 Best LGBT, Whatashort Independent Int. Film Festival, New Delhi (IN)
2018 Best Choreography, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Best LGBT, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Best Choreography, MarDelDance on Film Festival, New Jersey (US)
2018 Best Experimental, April Edition Moscow Shorts, Moscow (RU)
2018 Best Dance Film, AltFF Alternative Film Festival, Toronto (CA)
2018 Audience Award, Utah Dance Film Festival, Utah (US)
2017 Best Experimental Cinema, London Indie Film Festival (GB)
2017 Best Cinematography, Portland Dance Film Fest, Portland, OR (US)
2017 Grand Jury Prize, In/Motion Dance Film Festival, Chicago (US)
2017 Audience Favourite, In/Motion Dance Film Festival, Chicago (US)
2017 Best Dance Film, New Renaissance Film Festival, Amsterdam (NL)
2016 Best LGBT, Erie International Film Festival, Pennsylvania (US)
2016 Best LGBT Short, Queen City Film Festival, Cumberland, (US)
2016 Golden Cine Award, Headline International Film Festival (US)
2016 Outstanding Excellence: Choreography, Depth of Field, Nassau (US)
2016 Outstanding Excellence: Editing, Depth of Field, Nassau, (US)
2016 Outstanding Excellence: Cinematography, Depth of Field, Nassau (US)
2016 Best Editing, Short to the Point, Bucharest (RO)
2016 Best Editing, Best Independent Film Festival, Karlsruhe (DE)
2016 Best LGBTQ Short, Paris Play Film Festival (FR)
2016 Best Score, OutlantaCon Short Film Festival, Georgia (US)
2016 In Our image Award, OutlantaCon Short Film Festival, Georgia (US)
2015 Audience's Choice Award at Queer Shots Munich 2015 (DE)
2015 Best Editing at Eindhovens Film Festival, Eindhoven (NL)
2015 People's Choice Award at PiGrecoZen, Ancona (IT)
2015 Best Director of Photography, Paris Art and Movie Awards (FR)
2015 Best International Short Film at MICGénero, Benito Juaréz (MX)
2015 Best LGBT Short at Cannes Short Film Festival (FR)
2015 Best Art/Experimental Film at Sunderland Short Film Festival (GB)
2015 Best Dutch Short Film at Roze Filmdagen, Amsterdam (NL)
2015 Audience Award at Loikka Dance Film Festival, Helsinki (FI)
2014 Best Experimental Short at festival aGLIFF Austin, Texas (US)
2014 Mexican First National Screendance Award at Agite y Sirva –Screendance Touring Festival, Mexico (MX)
Awards – Miscellaneous
2022 Honorable Mention, Louisiana LGBT+ Film Festival, Louisiana (US)
2020 Special Mention, Cinematic Excellence, Canal de Panama Int. Film Festival (PA)
2020 Honorable Mention, Hollywood New Directors, Los Angeles (US)
2018 Special Mention Cinematography, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Special Mention Sound Design, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Special Mention Editing, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Audience Award 3rd Place, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Honorable Mention, Jacksonville Dance Film Festival, (US)
2016 Award of Merit, Southern Shorts Awards, Roswell, GA (US)
2016 Award of Merit, International New York Film Festival, (US)
Finalist
2018 Winter Edition of the Alternative Film Festival, Toronto (CA)
2018 Utah Dance Film Festival, Center for the Arts, Orem, Utah (US)
2018 European Cinematography AWARDS, Warsaw (PO)
2018 Cuzco Underground Cinema Festival, Cusco (PE)
2016 Premio Combat Prize, Livorno (IT)
2015 Iris Prize, Cardiff (GB)
2022 Best Debut Director, Great Message Int. Film Festival, Mumbai, (IN)
2022 Best Screenplay (Short), Great Message Int. Film Festival, Mumbai, (IN)
2021 Best Trio, Dancentric Film Festival, Altamonte Springs, FL (US)
2020 Best International Short, LGBTQ Unbordered Int. Film Festival, Nassau (US)
2020 Best International Dance Movie, DanzaTTack, Tenerife (ES)
2020 Best Short, KOQIX INDIE FEST, Torino (IT)
2019 Audience Award, Dance On Screen Film Festival, Graz (AT)
2019 Best LGBT, The Hague Global Cinema Festival, The Hague (NL)
2019 Best Experimental, Malmö International LGBTQ+ Short Film Festival, Malmö (SE)
2018 Best LGBT, Sierra International Film Weekend, Santa Cruz de la Sierra (BO)
2018 Best LGBT, Short Long World Festival, Corrientes, (AR)
2018 Best LGBT, Whatashort Independent Int. Film Festival, New Delhi (IN)
2018 Best Choreography, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Best LGBT, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Best Choreography, MarDelDance on Film Festival, New Jersey (US)
2018 Best Experimental, April Edition Moscow Shorts, Moscow (RU)
2018 Best Dance Film, AltFF Alternative Film Festival, Toronto (CA)
2018 Audience Award, Utah Dance Film Festival, Utah (US)
2017 Best Experimental Cinema, London Indie Film Festival (GB)
2017 Best Cinematography, Portland Dance Film Fest, Portland, OR (US)
2017 Grand Jury Prize, In/Motion Dance Film Festival, Chicago (US)
2017 Audience Favourite, In/Motion Dance Film Festival, Chicago (US)
2017 Best Dance Film, New Renaissance Film Festival, Amsterdam (NL)
2016 Best LGBT, Erie International Film Festival, Pennsylvania (US)
2016 Best LGBT Short, Queen City Film Festival, Cumberland, (US)
2016 Golden Cine Award, Headline International Film Festival (US)
2016 Outstanding Excellence: Choreography, Depth of Field, Nassau (US)
2016 Outstanding Excellence: Editing, Depth of Field, Nassau, (US)
2016 Outstanding Excellence: Cinematography, Depth of Field, Nassau (US)
2016 Best Editing, Short to the Point, Bucharest (RO)
2016 Best Editing, Best Independent Film Festival, Karlsruhe (DE)
2016 Best LGBTQ Short, Paris Play Film Festival (FR)
2016 Best Score, OutlantaCon Short Film Festival, Georgia (US)
2016 In Our image Award, OutlantaCon Short Film Festival, Georgia (US)
2015 Audience's Choice Award at Queer Shots Munich 2015 (DE)
2015 Best Editing at Eindhovens Film Festival, Eindhoven (NL)
2015 People's Choice Award at PiGrecoZen, Ancona (IT)
2015 Best Director of Photography, Paris Art and Movie Awards (FR)
2015 Best International Short Film at MICGénero, Benito Juaréz (MX)
2015 Best LGBT Short at Cannes Short Film Festival (FR)
2015 Best Art/Experimental Film at Sunderland Short Film Festival (GB)
2015 Best Dutch Short Film at Roze Filmdagen, Amsterdam (NL)
2015 Audience Award at Loikka Dance Film Festival, Helsinki (FI)
2014 Best Experimental Short at festival aGLIFF Austin, Texas (US)
2014 Mexican First National Screendance Award at Agite y Sirva –Screendance Touring Festival, Mexico (MX)
Awards – Miscellaneous
2022 Honorable Mention, Louisiana LGBT+ Film Festival, Louisiana (US)
2020 Special Mention, Cinematic Excellence, Canal de Panama Int. Film Festival (PA)
2020 Honorable Mention, Hollywood New Directors, Los Angeles (US)
2018 Special Mention Cinematography, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Special Mention Sound Design, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Special Mention Editing, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Audience Award 3rd Place, Five Continents International Film Festival, Puerto la Cruz (VE)
2018 Honorable Mention, Jacksonville Dance Film Festival, (US)
2016 Award of Merit, Southern Shorts Awards, Roswell, GA (US)
2016 Award of Merit, International New York Film Festival, (US)
Finalist
2018 Winter Edition of the Alternative Film Festival, Toronto (CA)
2018 Utah Dance Film Festival, Center for the Arts, Orem, Utah (US)
2018 European Cinematography AWARDS, Warsaw (PO)
2018 Cuzco Underground Cinema Festival, Cusco (PE)
2016 Premio Combat Prize, Livorno (IT)
2015 Iris Prize, Cardiff (GB)
Intrinsic Moral Evil
The Making-of
May 2012 - October 2013
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It all started with a simple concept for a short video about identity and perception. The basic idea was to play with the identity of two dancers, in order to confuse the audience and to seduce them to reflect on how they perceive the world. It ended with almost 7 hours of footage. The originally simple idea gradually turned into a multi layered story, depicted in a ten-minute film, with three dancers, still playing with identity and perception, but addressing various issues on multiple levels.
On a conceptual level, the film is connected to the ideas about identity of the French philosopher Foucault, who rejected the idea of having a fixed identity. He considered identity as a temporary construction, expressed in one’s interactions with the other. Intrinsic Moral Evil plays with this concept by projecting Foucault’s idea’s on the interactions between the dancers.
Foucault constructed his thoughts by elaborating on the idea of the ‘performative self’, as expressed by the Canadian sociologist Goffman. In short: life can be seen as a theater in which we play roles, performing differently in different social contexts. The three dancers literally perform in a ‘theater’, playing roles in different configurations. Besides this literal play, their dance can be seen as a metaphor. A metaphor for growing up as young adults.
The voice-over and the postcriptum serve as a foundation that hold the story. By positioning the story in the context of the value system of Christianity, the film reflects the ongoing discussions and debates about to which extent man may follow his nature and to which extent society can force minorities to live in accordance with what the majority considers as acceptable.
But at the end, it's as well a story about growing up, searching for identity, coming of age and freeing oneself from the imposed ideas about how to live ones life.
Intrinsic Moral Evil
Reviews
I love dance films and especially short artsy ones. I have seen a lot in our dance film festival and some of what I’ve seen has left a void in my heart – like “Intrinsic Moral Evil” (dir. Harm Weistra, Netherlands) and “Off Ground” (dir. Boudewijn Koole, Netherlands).
Kimmo Alakunnas - dancer, choreographer, actor, dance film director – at meuovement.com
Dutch filmmaker Harm Weistra’s multi-award-winning short romance Intrinsic Moral Evil appears at first to be about the transition from innocence to experience, told through the medium of dance. The camera moves and glides, slows down and speeds up to match the dynamic movements of the dancers. (…) It’s a film of grace and beauty that toys with viewer perceptions and suggests layers of meaning concerning gender, identity, memory, and loss.
Michael Abatemarco at santafenewmexican.com about Santa Fe Film Festival Dancing Around The World International Shorts 2015, Santa Fe (US)
Intrinsic Moral Evil is a very interesting film about three young dancers discovering their sexuality and attraction to each other. Danced wonderfully by Joan Ferré Gomez, Jorge Guillen Ortiz and Frago Penã Gonzalez (…) Filmed in a long dark hallway with marble columns, Intrinsic Moral Evil visually is stunning.
Jeff Slayton at SeeDance.com about Los Angeles 16th Annual Dance Camera West Film Festival (US)
A change of pace from other entries in Iris 2015, Harm Weistra’s Intrinsic Moral Evil is a dialogue-free dance piece with an impressively layered narrative.
The dancers are, of course, brilliant, and the cinematography is very well-executed throughout. The whole concept for this is a little different and leaves the viewer on the back foot (as it were) and with plenty to talk about afterwards which, in this reviewer’s opinion, is exactly what a good short film should do.
And, of course, all three dancers involved are extremely sexy and that’s very nice too.
Scott Elliott at BigGayPictureShow.com about Iris Prize 2015, Cardiff (GB)
"The film Intrinsic Moral Evil opens with a danced meeting of forces between two boys in an anonymous space, and gets an unexpected twist when a third dancer emerges. When one of them has to clear the stage, this leads to a sensual dance. A voice-over of an adult man reflects on how the 'being' of a young man relates to the impossibility of really knowing. The story develops gradually and unveils its latest secret just before the credits start. The choreography gets an additional meaning through a postscript and the contemplation of the voice-over."
Nederlands Film Festival, Utrecht (NL)
Intrinsic Moral Evil, a collaboration between filmmaker Harm Weistra and choreographer Fernando Dominguez Rincon, follows a male protagonist alone in the middle of a darkened marbled interior. Approached by another man, he enters into a playful game of magnetism, their bodies attracting and repelling each other in sinuous sensuality. Stasis brings forth a third person, the one that separates the two and lures the protagonist in his narrative’s metaphor of personal (sexual) development. Their embracing dance cut short, he is left once again on his own, this time with an assurance and understanding that radiates in the tomb-like interior. A game of attractions and identity, chasing each other to their final destination – that of self-empowerment and pride, glowing in the face of prejudice.
Andrei Tănăsescu, Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival (BIEFF), Bucharest (RO)
Visual pearl on identity plays with perception and expectations.
A tale of identity: What you see, will not be what you get.
Roze Filmdagen 2015, Amsterdam (NL)
Just saw this short at Amsterdam's 18th LGBT Film Festival - Roze Filmdagen 2015 - and was impressed by the filming of a beautifully danced duo and trio. This is a visual pearl, using slow motion to great advantage, of beautiful bodies presenting us with an opportunity to be touched by our perceptions and expectations. The (..) dancer presses our buttons: what we see won't be necessarily what we get.
Review on imdb.com ‘Beautifully danced jewel of a film’ by Bob O’Link after Roze Filmdagen 2015 Amsterdam (NL)
First National Screendance Award of the 6th Screendance Touring Festival Agite y Sirva 2014 goes to Intrinsic Moral Evil - choreography Fernando Domínguez, director Harm Weistra - for the beautiful integration of choreography with the language of film. Appreciation also for the interpretation of the three dancers, who involve the audience in the complexity of human relationships, the strength of the desire and the game of seduction. The light on location not only contributes to the quality of the image, but enriches the dramatic impact. This also applies to the editing and post-production, that strengthen the dance and the emotion of the characters.
Jury Agite y Sirva, Mexico (MX)
“Our committee was speechless.”
Pride, San Antonio, TX (USA)
The director presents a very nice narrative, but I suggest you just watch it and make up your own story. Either way it works well, with clever slow motion capture that is interspersed with effective camera angles.
DancersGroup.org: Top 10 recommendations for the San Francisco Dance Film Festival 2014, San Francisco (US)
One of the shorts "Intrinsic Moral Evil" is a cool and evocative triangle that brings into question sexuality - gay, straight and undecided.
Examiner.com about San Francisco Dance Film Festival 2014, San Francisco (US)
Intrinsic Moral Evil seems at first to be a tale of identity and adulthood, but more than anything it’s playing a game with the viewer’s expectation.
Cinedance 2014, Dance on Screen Festival. Amsterdam (NL)
The award-winning short film Intrinsic Moral Evil is a Dutch production of Harm Weistra. The flowing choreography for three dancers alludes to the ending of a friendship with the arrival of a third "ambiguous intruder". Is the main dancer fascinated by that 'vagueness'; is that why he abandons the other?
Pickwick.it: ‘Per non Dimenticare’ (Not to Forget) about Omovies – Festival di cinema omosessuale e questioning, Napels (IT)
Intrinsic Moral Evil. From the Netherlands, a very unusual short that's more of a performance video than a narrative, in which the concepts of homosexuality and youth are expressed in interpretive dance. Excellent cinematography and editing that uses the Zack-Snyder-slow-down-then-speed-up trick well. Quite fascinating and hypnotic.
Wide Screen World (blog) about Queens World Film Festival 2015, New York (US)
The audience's choice: "Intrinsic Moral Evil". What a great short film. If you have the chance - watch it!
Umberto Federico at www.imagli.com/ufphotography about Queer Shots Munich 2015 (DE)
… the raising of identity and perception in the beautiful pas de deux Intrinsic Moral Evil, Amuse-bouche sets the tone of the festival.
Ambre Sachet at theconcordian.com about Image+Nation LGBT Festival, Montréal (CA)
Best Art Film - Intrinsic Moral Evil – Normally I'd wonder what the point is of putting a stage-bound medium on film, though there's enough cinematic flourishes to justify the use of the medium. It is alright. Definitely at the more abstract end of the spectrum.
David Denton at the weblog Tales of the Boxing Nun about Sunderland Short Film Festival 2015 (GB)
Harm Weistra’s 11-minute film, set to Beethoven, is luxuriant and dreamy...
Randy Shulman at metroweekly.com on Reel Affirmations 2016 Washington (US)
Intrinsic Moral Evil addressed non-acceptance bred through sham moral posturing and hate.
PhillyGayCalendar.com about qFLIX Philadelphia (US), the LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2018
A “great ability to give life to a sensitive and deep story through dance. (…)The result is completely immersive. (…)The choreography is very well made. Great interaction between the three protagonists who perform them with professionalism and sensitivity.”
artinmovimento.com citing the jury of KOQIX INDIE FEST, Torino (IT), April 2020
Kimmo Alakunnas - dancer, choreographer, actor, dance film director – at meuovement.com
Dutch filmmaker Harm Weistra’s multi-award-winning short romance Intrinsic Moral Evil appears at first to be about the transition from innocence to experience, told through the medium of dance. The camera moves and glides, slows down and speeds up to match the dynamic movements of the dancers. (…) It’s a film of grace and beauty that toys with viewer perceptions and suggests layers of meaning concerning gender, identity, memory, and loss.
Michael Abatemarco at santafenewmexican.com about Santa Fe Film Festival Dancing Around The World International Shorts 2015, Santa Fe (US)
Intrinsic Moral Evil is a very interesting film about three young dancers discovering their sexuality and attraction to each other. Danced wonderfully by Joan Ferré Gomez, Jorge Guillen Ortiz and Frago Penã Gonzalez (…) Filmed in a long dark hallway with marble columns, Intrinsic Moral Evil visually is stunning.
Jeff Slayton at SeeDance.com about Los Angeles 16th Annual Dance Camera West Film Festival (US)
A change of pace from other entries in Iris 2015, Harm Weistra’s Intrinsic Moral Evil is a dialogue-free dance piece with an impressively layered narrative.
The dancers are, of course, brilliant, and the cinematography is very well-executed throughout. The whole concept for this is a little different and leaves the viewer on the back foot (as it were) and with plenty to talk about afterwards which, in this reviewer’s opinion, is exactly what a good short film should do.
And, of course, all three dancers involved are extremely sexy and that’s very nice too.
Scott Elliott at BigGayPictureShow.com about Iris Prize 2015, Cardiff (GB)
"The film Intrinsic Moral Evil opens with a danced meeting of forces between two boys in an anonymous space, and gets an unexpected twist when a third dancer emerges. When one of them has to clear the stage, this leads to a sensual dance. A voice-over of an adult man reflects on how the 'being' of a young man relates to the impossibility of really knowing. The story develops gradually and unveils its latest secret just before the credits start. The choreography gets an additional meaning through a postscript and the contemplation of the voice-over."
Nederlands Film Festival, Utrecht (NL)
Intrinsic Moral Evil, a collaboration between filmmaker Harm Weistra and choreographer Fernando Dominguez Rincon, follows a male protagonist alone in the middle of a darkened marbled interior. Approached by another man, he enters into a playful game of magnetism, their bodies attracting and repelling each other in sinuous sensuality. Stasis brings forth a third person, the one that separates the two and lures the protagonist in his narrative’s metaphor of personal (sexual) development. Their embracing dance cut short, he is left once again on his own, this time with an assurance and understanding that radiates in the tomb-like interior. A game of attractions and identity, chasing each other to their final destination – that of self-empowerment and pride, glowing in the face of prejudice.
Andrei Tănăsescu, Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival (BIEFF), Bucharest (RO)
Visual pearl on identity plays with perception and expectations.
A tale of identity: What you see, will not be what you get.
Roze Filmdagen 2015, Amsterdam (NL)
Just saw this short at Amsterdam's 18th LGBT Film Festival - Roze Filmdagen 2015 - and was impressed by the filming of a beautifully danced duo and trio. This is a visual pearl, using slow motion to great advantage, of beautiful bodies presenting us with an opportunity to be touched by our perceptions and expectations. The (..) dancer presses our buttons: what we see won't be necessarily what we get.
Review on imdb.com ‘Beautifully danced jewel of a film’ by Bob O’Link after Roze Filmdagen 2015 Amsterdam (NL)
First National Screendance Award of the 6th Screendance Touring Festival Agite y Sirva 2014 goes to Intrinsic Moral Evil - choreography Fernando Domínguez, director Harm Weistra - for the beautiful integration of choreography with the language of film. Appreciation also for the interpretation of the three dancers, who involve the audience in the complexity of human relationships, the strength of the desire and the game of seduction. The light on location not only contributes to the quality of the image, but enriches the dramatic impact. This also applies to the editing and post-production, that strengthen the dance and the emotion of the characters.
Jury Agite y Sirva, Mexico (MX)
“Our committee was speechless.”
Pride, San Antonio, TX (USA)
The director presents a very nice narrative, but I suggest you just watch it and make up your own story. Either way it works well, with clever slow motion capture that is interspersed with effective camera angles.
DancersGroup.org: Top 10 recommendations for the San Francisco Dance Film Festival 2014, San Francisco (US)
One of the shorts "Intrinsic Moral Evil" is a cool and evocative triangle that brings into question sexuality - gay, straight and undecided.
Examiner.com about San Francisco Dance Film Festival 2014, San Francisco (US)
Intrinsic Moral Evil seems at first to be a tale of identity and adulthood, but more than anything it’s playing a game with the viewer’s expectation.
Cinedance 2014, Dance on Screen Festival. Amsterdam (NL)
The award-winning short film Intrinsic Moral Evil is a Dutch production of Harm Weistra. The flowing choreography for three dancers alludes to the ending of a friendship with the arrival of a third "ambiguous intruder". Is the main dancer fascinated by that 'vagueness'; is that why he abandons the other?
Pickwick.it: ‘Per non Dimenticare’ (Not to Forget) about Omovies – Festival di cinema omosessuale e questioning, Napels (IT)
Intrinsic Moral Evil. From the Netherlands, a very unusual short that's more of a performance video than a narrative, in which the concepts of homosexuality and youth are expressed in interpretive dance. Excellent cinematography and editing that uses the Zack-Snyder-slow-down-then-speed-up trick well. Quite fascinating and hypnotic.
Wide Screen World (blog) about Queens World Film Festival 2015, New York (US)
The audience's choice: "Intrinsic Moral Evil". What a great short film. If you have the chance - watch it!
Umberto Federico at www.imagli.com/ufphotography about Queer Shots Munich 2015 (DE)
… the raising of identity and perception in the beautiful pas de deux Intrinsic Moral Evil, Amuse-bouche sets the tone of the festival.
Ambre Sachet at theconcordian.com about Image+Nation LGBT Festival, Montréal (CA)
Best Art Film - Intrinsic Moral Evil – Normally I'd wonder what the point is of putting a stage-bound medium on film, though there's enough cinematic flourishes to justify the use of the medium. It is alright. Definitely at the more abstract end of the spectrum.
David Denton at the weblog Tales of the Boxing Nun about Sunderland Short Film Festival 2015 (GB)
Harm Weistra’s 11-minute film, set to Beethoven, is luxuriant and dreamy...
Randy Shulman at metroweekly.com on Reel Affirmations 2016 Washington (US)
Intrinsic Moral Evil addressed non-acceptance bred through sham moral posturing and hate.
PhillyGayCalendar.com about qFLIX Philadelphia (US), the LGBTQ+ Film Festival 2018
A “great ability to give life to a sensitive and deep story through dance. (…)The result is completely immersive. (…)The choreography is very well made. Great interaction between the three protagonists who perform them with professionalism and sensitivity.”
artinmovimento.com citing the jury of KOQIX INDIE FEST, Torino (IT), April 2020
Intrinsic Moral Evil
Credits
2013
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Written, produced and directed by: Harm Weistra
Choreographer: Fernando Domínguez Rincón Dancers: Joan Ferré Gomez, Jorge Abraham Guillen Ortiz, Frago Peña Gonzalez Voice over: Hank Botwinik Executive producer: Jitte Hoekstra Director of photography: Jorrit Garretsen Gaffer: Michel IJzerman Best boy: Alban Riphagen Data handler: Irma Oldenburg Makeup: Marcus van der Post Wardrobe: Romano Smit Editor: Michiel Boesveldt Sound design: Aline Bruijns Foley artist: Ronnie van der Veer Re-recording mixer: Bart Jilesen Music: Ludwig van Beethoven Music performed by: Dmitriy Lukyanov Titles and compositing: Jitte Hoekstra, Vincent van der Klauw, Peter Remmerswaal Grading: Fernando Rodrigues Voice-over based on: 1 Corinthians 13: 11-12 Produced by: Framelab, Amsterdam Special Thanks: Loods 6 Amsterdam, Golden Eye Amsterdam, Bas Groot, Bert van den Hoek, Marten Koldijk, Eric Magnee, Jeffrey van Rossum, Rombout Willems |
Damaged Goods
2011
1-channel video. 3'52''
Damaged Goods (trailer) from Harm Weistra on Vimeo.
Written comments - posted on YouTube and for this video in dialogue articulated by two voice actors - are the starting point of Damaged Goods. The comments seem to guide the movements of two male dancers, ultimately influencing to what extent they dare to live their lives. The contrast between the comments and the intimacy of the dancers invites the viewer to reflect and to take a stand. Although the video seems to focus on the gay community, it has a broader relevance, in the sense that the video shows the impact of the internet and social media on the life of individuals and groups. The video can be seen as a metaphor for the mechanism of oppression of people who deviate from what is considered the norm. Apparent tolerance, as a latent form of control that forces individuals to live within socially acceptable boundaries, can also be seen as a major theme of Damaged Goods.
Credits
Written, produced & directed by: Harm Weistra
Dancers: Armando Roberto Disanto & Fernando Dominguez
Choreographic composition on screen: Eddi Bal - based on sequences made by the dancers
Cinematography and editing: Eddi Bal
Voice actors: Jeremiah Fleming & John Doe
Voice-over editing: Harm Weistra
Re-recording mix: Eddi Bal
Music: Droog Water by Machinefabriek
Voice-over based on: Comments found on social media
Credits
Written, produced & directed by: Harm Weistra
Dancers: Armando Roberto Disanto & Fernando Dominguez
Choreographic composition on screen: Eddi Bal - based on sequences made by the dancers
Cinematography and editing: Eddi Bal
Voice actors: Jeremiah Fleming & John Doe
Voice-over editing: Harm Weistra
Re-recording mix: Eddi Bal
Music: Droog Water by Machinefabriek
Voice-over based on: Comments found on social media
Damaged Goods
Awards
2016 Winner Best Experimental Film at Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, Llanelli (GB)
2014 Award of Merit at Indie Fest, La Jolla CA (US)
2013 Awarded third price at SurReal || Iberoamerican Videodance Competition, Berlin (DE)
2011/2012 NeuNow Festival of the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA), selected as one of the 10 most promising graduates in fine arts of the year 2011 ‘across Europe and beyond’.
2016 Winner Best Experimental Film at Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, Llanelli (GB)
2014 Award of Merit at Indie Fest, La Jolla CA (US)
2013 Awarded third price at SurReal || Iberoamerican Videodance Competition, Berlin (DE)
2011/2012 NeuNow Festival of the European League of Institutes of the Arts (ELIA), selected as one of the 10 most promising graduates in fine arts of the year 2011 ‘across Europe and beyond’.
Damaged Goods II
2012
3-channel video installation 3'52''
Damaged Goods II from Harm Weistra & Eddi Bal on Vimeo.
Damaged Goods II is a three-channel video installation that’s elaborating on the one-channel video Damaged Goods. This installation has been developed in cooperation with Eddi Bal.
Credits
Written, produced & directed by: Harm Weistra
Dancers: Armando Roberto Disanto & Fernando Dominguez
Choreographic composition on screen: Eddi Bal - based on sequences made by the dancers
Cinematography and editing: Eddi Bal
Voice actors: Jeremiah Fleming & John Doe
Voice-over editing: Harm Weistra
Re-recording mix: Eddi Bal
Music: Droog Water by Machinefabriek
Voice-over based on: Comments found on social media
Credits
Written, produced & directed by: Harm Weistra
Dancers: Armando Roberto Disanto & Fernando Dominguez
Choreographic composition on screen: Eddi Bal - based on sequences made by the dancers
Cinematography and editing: Eddi Bal
Voice actors: Jeremiah Fleming & John Doe
Voice-over editing: Harm Weistra
Re-recording mix: Eddi Bal
Music: Droog Water by Machinefabriek
Voice-over based on: Comments found on social media
Upsetting ...
2011
1-channel video. 3'31''
The video Upsetting ... (2011) is circling around the mantra 'It Gets Better', carefully compiled from video footage, found on the Internet. The video focuses on hatred and violence against the LGBT community. Upsetting … originally was meant as a diptych with the video Damaged Goods. Upsetting ... is based on video footage, the most visible part of YouTube, where Damaged Goods reflects the lesser known, more hidden part of YouTube: the user generated comments. Since Damaged Goods travels the world stand alone, the video Upsetting …. is under construction. References to Damaged Goods will be replaced, and the video will be updated, to reflect the latest developments in violence and hatred against the LGBT community.
Credits
Concept and script: Harm Weistra
Archival footage: YouTube
Dancers: Armando Roberto Disanto & Fernando Dominiguez
Cinematography: Harm Weistra & Irma Oldenburg
Video editing: Irma Oldenburg
Sound editing: Irma Oldenburg
Music: Matis Gutsche
Credits
Concept and script: Harm Weistra
Archival footage: YouTube
Dancers: Armando Roberto Disanto & Fernando Dominiguez
Cinematography: Harm Weistra & Irma Oldenburg
Video editing: Irma Oldenburg
Sound editing: Irma Oldenburg
Music: Matis Gutsche