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Északföld (Northlands)

Film
Title of the film Original title: Északföld
English title: Northlands
Hungarian title: Északföld

Production and shooting info Country of the production: Hungary - hu
Year of production: from 1998 to 2002
Year of shooting: from 1998 to 0000
Length of the film: 62 min
Colouring: colour
Standard format: Beta SP
Recording format: DVCAM
Original language: Hungarian
Language of subtitle: English

Description of the content Up in the North there is a different world. The sky is bright. Dark forests open up on the slopes of the mountains, and after the rain, the mountains crack and give pass to countless streams. Stay alone in the forest and you will hear the sounds of birds' wings, and the trees growing. The villagers live in the valley. It's still dark when they meet in front of the pub with their horse team. Leaving the village at sunrise they bring axes, saws, and metal cables. Even though the Northern country is mystical, the village Répáshuta and its local woodcutters are real. There are four men, four different characters, four different crafts, and finally four different seasons. They slowly ride their sled into the forest, light a campfire and begin to do their jobs, cutting and bringing down the trees. These are the men from the Northern country. Inserted pictures return to everyday events of other seasons, depicting mornings full of worries about their home-stead. The men lead long talks, and everyday activities are depicted with a courtly sense of visuality. Subtitles inform about the history of the village and its folk, and carry on through the whole movie. We set out on a pilgrimage in search for woodcutters' souls, their inner world hidden under the shell of daylong toil. Living their lives in the rhythm of the village, they follow local rituals. Time is not relative. They don't break away from the time they live in. Their lives and destinies are the same as the falling trunks and growing trees. That is the entire silent joy of the documentary.

Credits Director: Zoltán Füredi
Producer: Zoltán Füredi
Dramaturg: Ernő Nagy
Cinematographer: Zoltán Füredi
Editor: Judit Kollányi
Sound: Vince Kapcsos
Assistant director: Gergely Bérczessy
Production manager: Miklós Szederkényi
Közreműködő: Mária Paulik

Company / Institution Production: Palantír Film Visual Anthropological Foundation
 Euromozaik Alapítvány
 Dunatáj Alapítvány
Distributor: Palantír Film Visual Anthropological Foundation
Supported by: Duna Televízió

Ethnicity and locality Etnic group: Hungarian
Continent: Central Europe
Country: Hungary - hu
Location
 (City, village, region, mountains, etc.): Bükk montains
 Répáshuta

Tipology Type: non-fiction film
Form: essay
 documentary film
Beszédmód: observational cinema

Related sciences Social science: cultural anthropology
 ethnography
Technical science: agrár tudományok


Keyword: way of living
 craft, trade
 rural life

Links The website of the film

Documents Újságcikk
English dialogue list

Photos
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