Determinations. 2023 > A post-punk gonzo doco from the 1980’s restored for the digital realm. The Squamish Five story — a significant historical Canadian recollection, a refreshment of memory in a time of ever increasing environmental suicidal somnambulism & social, political dementia.
The Squamish Five were a group of militant anarchist from the West Coast who were involved with a number of Direct Actions that occurred across Canada in the early 80’s – their actions constituted the most radical political protest in Canada since the October crises. Key actions included protests against the then Liberal-Trudeau Government support of the U.S. Cruise Missile Tests in Northern Alberta and the manufacturing of the guidance system of the Cruise Missiles by Litton Industries of Ontario, other environmental concerns & feminist / gender issues.
” Oliver Hockenhull’s experimental documentary — calls to mind the multifaceted questioning of media information and language in general in some of Godard’s more radical works of the late 60s–particularly Le Gai Savoir–that featured different forms of collage. All sorts of elements are woven into the mixture, including documentary footage, interviews, dialogues, punk rock, images from TV, performance art involving slides and silhouettes, and many different kinds of image processing.”
Jonathan Rosenbaum | Chicago Reader
DETERMINATIONS poetic and humanistic stance is bounded by a hard edged, and unashamedly intellectual political awareness. Legendary Punk Bands D.O.A. and The Subhumans contributed music to the piece. It seems to me that we make ineffectual fools of ourselves when we take lightly the measures of human stupidity and human greed that has brought the natural world to its present untenable degradation. We have all had our laugh concerning the folly of our predicament. Is it not better that we let out a shout to prevent the apocalyptic programs of mass destruction and ecological suicide from happening than to let out a whimper once it has occurred?
written in 1988 — 35 years ago and counting.
1988 16mm film
2023 4k Video
“If the subjects of this film were not so serious and political, I am sure it would have been accepted by now in the experimental “Hall of Fame”. Its true measure of success is that it is feared by the experimentalists in film culture and misunderstood as “ART” by documentarists of media reality. In other words, DETERMINATIONS has exceeded both.” Al Razutis
Director: Oliver Hockenhull 75 minutes– 16 mm – colour and B.W. — Sound/Music: Burke/Hockenhull, DOA, The Subhumans, Gerry Hannah.
The Leipzig International Documentary Film Festival, Germany, Los Angeles Film Forum, The World Film Festival — Montreal, San Francisco Cinematheque, AVE Holland, The Grierson Documentary Seminar, NFB John Spotton Cinema, “Re/defining Nations”, The World Experimental Film Festival, Toronto
“A driving warp speed dissection of the Squamish Five story, with a soundtrack that alone is worth the price of admission.” Elizabeth Aird, The Vancouver Sun.
“Hockenhull has a radical take on the well worn revelation of political hypocrisy, using a whole arsenal of techniques to create the overall effect of acute despair.”
Mary Beth Crain, Los Angeles Weekly.
