Program Description:
A fascinating documentary about the science and art of origami, BETWEEN THE FOLDS profiles brilliant artists, mathematicians and scientists who are reinventing the ancient Japanese tradition of paper folding. With just one piece of paper, and without the use of glue, tape or staples, these offbeat and provocative minds are creating unimaginably beautiful works of art and thought-provoking mathematical models.
The film opens with three of the world's foremost paper artists: former French sculptor Eric Joisel, whose caricatures in paper rival the figures of Daumier and Picasso; Robert J. Lang, a hyperrealist who walked away from a successful physics career to instead challenge the physics of a folded square; and Michael LaFosse, an artisanal papermaker who folds impressionistic creations from the very same medium he makes from scratch.
As the film progresses, however, the artists become less conventional. Abstract art emerges with a greater emphasis on process and concept, rattling the fundamental roots of realism that have long dominated the world of paper folding. Eventually science emerges as another front in the exploration of folded paper, with a profile of Dr. Erik Demaine, a remarkable prodigy from the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT who won a MacArthur “Genius” Award for his computational origami research.
With breathtaking cinematography, animation and a beautiful original score, BETWEEN THE FOLDS paints an arresting portrait of the mysterious creative threads that bind us all.
Selected by Realscreen magazine as Best in Show for MIPTV 2009.
Reviews:
"Mesmerizingly beautiful . . . a work of art. A rare delight for the senses."
- Cleveland Film Society
"Filmmaking at its most wondrous. . . Between the Folds is breathtaking."
- Chris Honoré, Ashland Daily Tidings
"So popular, we added another screening. Everyone is just buzzing right now. They're floored by this film."
- Nicole Gregg, New Hampshire Film Festival
"An exhilarating documentary. Sold out, with ushers hunting down every last seat."
- Linda Falkenstein, Isthmus
Festivals:
Asian Film Festival
Ashland Independent Film Festival
Brooklyn International Film Festival - Winner, Audience Award - Documentary
Cinema Society of San Diego - Winner, Best Documentary
Cleveland International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Indie Spirit Film Festival - Winner, Best Documentary
New Hampshire Film Festival - Winner, Audience Award
Newport Beach Film Festival
Rhode Island International Film Festival - Winner, Audience Award
San Francisco DocFest
Santa Fe Film Festival
Savannah Film Festival
SCINEMA International Film Festival - Winner, Best Film
Temecula International Film Festival
Transylvania International Film Festival
Wisconsin Film Festival
