TRAILERS

First Trailer for Mesmerizing Volcanoes Doc Film 'Rock Bottom Riser'

by Alex Billington
February 10, 2022
Source: YouTube

"Otherwordly." The Cinema Guild in NYC has revealed the first official trailer for Rock Bottom Riser, a compelling experimental documentary project made by filmmaker Fern Silva. This first premiered at last year's Berlin Film Festival and it also stopped by a number of festivals throughout 2021. Artist Fern Silva's doc features live footage of Hawaiian volcanoes spouting lava - along with abstract shots of Hawaii, acting as subtle commentary on a number of different topics. From the earliest voyagers who navigated by starlight, to present-day astronomers scanning the cosmos for habitable planets, explorers have long made Hawaii the hub for their searching. Today—as lava continues to flow on the island—another crisis mounts as scientists plan to build the world’s largest telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s most sacred and revered mountain. This might be a perfect double feature with this other great volcano doc Fire of Love from Sundance. Have a look.

Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Fern Silva's doc Rock Bottom Riser, direct from YouTube:

In his dynamic feature debut, filmmaker Fern Silva examines myriad encounters with an island world at sea. Drawing from Hawaiian subjects as seemingly disparate as the arrival of Christian missionaries and the controversial casting of Dwayne Johnson as King Kamehameha, the film weaves a vital tapestry of post-colonialism and pop culture with cinematic brio and a wry wit. Silva's Rock Bottom Riser doc is an essential document and an exhilarating tour-de-force, a palimpsest that traverses geology, ethnography and astronomy. Rock Bottom Riser is directed by the Portuguese-American artist / filmmaker Fern Silva, making his feature directorial debut after a number of other short films and art projects previously. This initially premiered at the Berlinale, Cinéma du Réel, and the New Directors/New Films Festivals last year. The Cinema Guild will debut Silva's Rock Bottom Riser doc in select US theaters (starting at Metrograph in 35mm) on March 4th, 2022 coming soon. For more info, visit their official website. Is anyone interested?

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