In association with purge.xxx, Close-Up presents a rare programme of Matthias Müller’s earliest film works, in the presence of sound designer and composer, Dirk Schaefer.

Aus der Ferne - The Memo Book, 1989, 28 minSleepy Haven, 1993, 15 minAlpsee, 1994, 15 minPensão Globo, 1997, 15 minVacancy, 1998, 14 min

Müller found international acclaim with his 1989 debut, Aus der Ferne - The Memo Book, a devastating found footage film exploring the death from AIDS of a former lover, scored by Dirk Schaefer. This formal collaborative debut between Müller and Schaefer followed a series of much earlier experiments across music and film, through the collectivised, experimental activities of the Gay Liberation Front in their hometown of Bielefeld, Germany.

Schaefer went on to score four more of Müller’s films in the 1990s presented in this programme, along-with the co-directed Home Stories, with screenings and exhibitions at institutions included MOMA, Walter Art Centre, Centre Georges-Pompidou, and Tate Modern. The soundtracks for these films were recently remastered, compiled and released for the first time in a deluxe double-vinyl edition by purge.xxx.

https://www.closeupfilmcentre.com/film_programmes/2024/matthias-mueller-early-film-worksBox Office: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/close-up-cinema/t-earopvp

With special thanks to the Goethe-Institut London.