Lezing
SG - The Experience of Mindfulness: The Power of Slow Cinema
Guided by film critic Kevin Toma we explore the power and beauty of slow, ‘boring’ movies. Can those movies help us reach another, meditative state of consciousness?
About The Experience of Mindfulness: The Power of Slow Cinema
Most movies painstakingly try not to be boring. They aim to tell a gripping story, with fascinating characters and larger-than-life emotions. They want to take the viewer by the hand fearing that, as soon as she gets bored, she will mentally pull out. Something which has to be avoided at all costs. But does this mean that the viewer is concentrated on the movie, or only distracted from every-day life? Can’t boredom be a force for good?
Guided by film critic Kevin Toma we explore the power and beauty of slow, ‘boring’ movies. Can those movies help us reach another, meditative state of consciousness? And, if so, how do they do this?
About series ‘Mindfulness: Beyond the Hype?’
Will you become a better person after some mindfulness therapy? Is the world going to be a better place if more people are more mindful? Mindfulness has been a hype in the West for a while now, but what are we actually talking about?
In this series, we trace back the origins of mindfulness and discuss its current-day manifestations, explore its mechanisms and effects, and reflect on its societal meaning and role. And what can the popularity of mindfulness reveal about contemporary society? What is the value of this practice of attentiveness and rest in our current world?
About Kevin Toma
Kevin Toma (Sittard, 1974) studied Film- and Performance-Studies at Radboud University Nijmegen. He started his career as movie reviewer for De Filmkrant. Starting 2007 he works as a movie reviewer for De Volkskrant. Furthermore he composes modern music for, and accompanies silent movies. He wrote new scores for and accompanied live among others Sunrise (1927), Häxan (1922) and Berlin, die Sinfonie der Groβstadt (1927).