Die Souvenirs des Herrn X

An original found-footage film about the clichés of amateur film making. At a flea market, a film maker finds a series of Super8 films by an unknown hobbyist. He tries to find the man and in doing so penetrates deeper and deeper into the strange and obsessive world of the amateur film. It turns out to be a subculture with its own rules, competitions and above all a great love for the moving image. As amateur film makers in particular search in unspectacular everyday life, this film too honours mediocrity with the same dedication and perseverance. The film is based on an authentic find of 60 reels of film. Then the director started collecting and eventually had a collection of more than 2000 similar examples. This served as basis for his film. In this work, Herr X is a symbolic figure, a representative of the average citizen and his dream of making ‘cinema’, even though the theatre was in his own living room and the audience did not extend further than his own circle of friends. Die Souvenirs des Herrn X is a film about making film without prejudice. The way in which the ageing enthusiasts also follow the latest technological developments suggests that amateur film making is not going to disappear for some time to come. (EC)