A DAY'S WORK
Max Kerkhoff / Germany, Myanmar / 2021 / 13 min / Colour
Italian premiere
Men and women arrive early in the morning at the site of a new road under construction through a remote mountainous region of western Burma. Seen from above, the white track cuts through red earth scorched by the sun and dotted with black tar bins. The landscape has already been scarred by colonialism, deforestation, land seizure from the indigenous population, civil war and neglect. The directorial choice of the split screen, which allows us to follow two moments of work on the same construction site simultaneously, seems to suggest a dual point of view: is the construction of the road yet another violation of the natural environment or a step towards development? It turns out that it will connect areas controlled by five warring parties, the Burmese army and rival rebel ethnic groups. Will it become yet another route for troops and military vehicles or a road to finally live in peace on those lands?
Max Kerkhoff
Of Austrian, German and American origins, he studied ethnology and political science in Berlin and Marseille and film editing at the Film University Potsdam Babelsberg. During his many business trips to various developing countries, his interest in documenting the profound changes caused by globalization deepened, as in the case of A day's work.
Credits
Screenplay Max Kerkhoff, Pascal Khoo Twe, Till GirkeCinematography Till GirkeEditing Max Kerkhoff, Momas SchützeMusic Franziska May, Isacco ChiafProduction company Max Kerkhoff