Generations

2020 | NR. 1hr 7min
DIRECTOR: Lynne Siefert TFF 2021 | MASKS AND PROOF OF VACCINE REQUIRED

Composed of scenes of coal power plants and their surrounding environments, Generations was filmed throughout the United States between 2017 to 2019. The film consists of twelve static single-shot tableaus depicting people doing everyday activities while living in the shadow of massive power-generating stations.

Taking inspiration from George Innessâ€™s 1856 painting, â€œThe Lackawanna Valleyâ€, which illustrates a scene at the beginning of the American industrial revolution (made possible by the invention of coal powered steam engines), the coal power plants in Generations stand as remnants of a fading era of industrialization and as markers of the Anthropocene.

A synthesis of observational and constructed scenes, in precise durations of 5 minutes and totaling one hour, the structure and medium of Generations alludes to clockwork and industrial time while a series of present human moments unfold in â€˜real timeâ€™. Landscapes featuring man-made environments alongside unaltered natural bodies of water and land, evoke a geological time scale and the long-lasting impact coal extraction and energy generation will have on the future.

Special Juror presentation.