On Sunday, October 26, OPOS screened Step Across the Border, a 1990 film written and directed by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel. Considered a milestone in musical and experimental cinema, the film is a journey in which improvised music and direct cinema intertwine in a single perceptual experience.

The screening was preceded by a talk led by Francesca Naibo, in which she proposed a shared reflection on the meaning of art today, the relationship between artist and community, cultural consumption, and the inexhaustible power of creativity. Federico Calcagno, Silvia Cignoli, and Simone Massaron participated in the conversation.

The real protagonist is music, with an exceptional musical accompaniment composed and performed by Fred Frith together with numerous international musicians. Like a visual and auditory jam session, the film was born from instinct and the ability to seize the moment: no rigid script, but intuition, exchange, and continuous movement. The crew worked like a band, reacting in real time to ideas and suggestions, even shooting at night to pursue sudden inspiration.

Synopsis
A white rabbit playing the trumpet and traveling the world on a flying carpet — this surreal image introduces the viewer to a journey that passes through Zurich, London, Leipzig, Tokyo, and New York. The result is a black-and-white film that plays with symphonic connections between subways, storms, and electric guitars. As one American critic wrote:
“Fred Frith’s music leaves your mouth open, makes your feet dance, and makes your neighbors move out.”
Among the protagonists we also find telephones, puddles, scarecrows, saxophones, orchestrated cities, and engines. A true musical film.

Photos by Anna Pendoli