In this formally inventive historical drama, acclaimed American filmmaker Rob 
Tregenza explores the moral complexities of World War II and the permutations of history and its representation. Set in occupied Norway, THE FISHING PLACE follows Anna (Ellen Dorrit Petersen), a housekeeper who arrives to work for a German priest in rural Telemark. As the priest grapples with his faith amid the corruption of power, Anna navigates her own secrets through clandestine meetings with a local SS officer. Known for his masterful debut Talking to Strangers (1988)—which caught Jean-Luc 
Godard’s attention and led to their collaboration on Inside/Out (1997)—Tregenza brings his distinctive visual style to this nuanced exploration of war’s impact. Director Rob Tregenza, varied career includes his work as cinematographer for Béla Tarr’s Werckmeister Harmonies (2000), employs his characteristic philosophical depth to challenge conventional war narratives, crafting both a powerful 
meditation on human nature and a meta-commentary on cinema itself. Rob Tregenza’s Gavagai had its US theatrical release in 2018. “Cinema,” as Scorsese tells it, “is a matter of what’s in the frame and what’s out.” Tregenza’s approach to the long take traps the echoes of what exits the frame, and suggests its inevitable return. During a
reel-length shot, his characters routinely enter and exit multiple times, constantly exerting gravitational force on the center. As he shifts gracefully across hospitals and desolate gas stations, space and time unfold on screen in tandem, offering themselves up for consideration and interrogation. Director / writer / cinematographer Rob Tregenza joins us for a lively conversation on his distinctive approach to filmmaking, working with Jean-Luc Godard, Norway’s role in World War Two and his latest, beautifully rendered film The Fishing Place.
For more go to: gavagaifilm.com/the-fishing-place
THE FISHING PLACE will have its North American theatrical premiere at MoMA in New York City on February 6, and will open at Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles on March 7th. Other cities will follow. Director Rob Tregenza in person on February 6 after the 6:30pm screening at MoM
About the filmmaker – Transcendent formalism meets messy humanism in the work of East Coast independent Rob Tregenza. His audacious first feature, Talking to Strangers—nine 10-minute sequences, each shot in a single take—galvanized the 1988 Berlin International Film Festival, gathering admirers including Jean-Luc Godard, who helped Tregenza make his third feature, Inside/Out (1997). In his essay “Cinq Lettres a et sur Rob Tregenza,” Godard described Tregenza’s work as “remarkable and at times astonishing, that is, softly imbued with the marvelous.” This retrospective will include all four of Tregenza’s features, along with a sampling of his work as a cinematographer (for Bela Tarr, Alex Cox, Claude Miller, and others). As a testament to Tregenza’s multidisciplinary approach (director, writer, cinematographer and editor), Thinking with Cinema will include the world premiere of a new 35mm print of Inside/Out in addition to North American premieres for brand new prints of Talking to Strangers and The Arc, made directly from the original 35mm camera negatives and supervised by the filmmaker.
“The most intriguing figure in “The Fishing Place” is, in a manner of speaking, Tregenza, who throughout the film continuously draws attention to his camerawork, as he plays with the palette and different registers of realism.” – Manohla Dargis, New York Times
“Working on a relatively low budget, in isolation from Hollywood, Tregenza displays a virtuosity that is fully integrated into his comprehensive cinematic vision, his finely imagined re-creation of history, and his long-gestating complex of ideas.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
“The film’s particular genius lies in a very consistent use of off-screen space.” – Zach Lewis, Slant Magazine
“War dramas can so easily stay inside of a box, something that THE FISHING PLACE seems actively bent on rebelling against. Simply for that reason, Trezenga’s film is worthy of consideration and conversation.” – Joshua Stevens, Loud and Clear
Download MP3 Podcast | Open Player in New Window