Camera Sutra (or the Pale Faces)

Camera sutra (of de bleekgezichten)

Overview

The Herts Camera Sutra or The Palefaces (1973) is a militant and visually fragmented critique of Belgian bourgeois society, blending documentary collage with semi-autobiographical fiction. De Hert attacks the distractions of nationalism, religion, and popular culture while exposing capitalism, social injustice, and postcolonial exploitation. The film’s second half shifts to a disillusioned group of rebellious youths, revealing the uncertainty and emotional paralysis behind revolutionary ideals. Both politically fierce and deeply self-questioning, the film captures the tension between radical ambition and powerlessness.

Production

Cinécentrum N.V., Fugitive Cinema Holland, Ministerie van Nationale Opvoeding en Nederlandse Cultuur (België)