Retrospective: Cédric Dupire and Gaspard Kuentz

Cédric Dupire and Garpard Kuentz make documentaries that are singular journeys: to spirit lands, otherworldly festivals and rituals; exorcisms, possessions and celebrations. These films are intense, disconcerting and vertiginous.

Kings of the Wind & Electric Queens (2014), which will screen with Dupire’s short Journal Afghan (2015), chronicles one of the largest and oldest cattle markets in Asia. The Sonepur Cattle Fair draws ecstatic spectators from across India in search of thrills and good fortune. “An event like no other, it’s a carnival of magical realism inhabited by exotic dancers, exorcists, stuntmen and elephant tamers… full of sensual extravagance.” (EthnoCineca)

Prends, Seigneur, Prends (2017) drops viewers into the heart of celebration at the temple of Panchwa, filled with blood, flesh and flames. We Don’t Care About Music Anyway… (2009) is a vivid representation of the underground Japanese experimental music scene, delving into the noise music, digital innovation, and incomprehensible instrumentation of musicians creating art at the fringes of sound.

Finally, Dupire’s most recent work, The Real Superstar (2023), rounds out this duel retrospective. A quasi-narrative about the unrivaled celebrity of movie star Amitabh Bachchan, The Real Superstar is a unique portrait of one widely lauded icon and in turn a vibrant homage to the rich tapestry of Indian cinema.

We are excited to dive deep into the sensorial universe of Cédric Dupire and Gaspard Kuentz’s filmography, which contains a multitude of inspiration, feeling, and form. As a duo they are known to push the limits of documentary (and in turn their audience)—these five films are proof.

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To view the films in this program, click here.