White Coal

Cinematographic poem in two parts about the world of coal. The episodes shot in 16mm black & white are about the crew of a Polish coal ship – inspired by Herman Melville’s The Confidence-Man – while the parts in colour are set in and around the world’s largest coal-fuelled power station.
Georg Tiller does not seem interested in socio-economic conditions: White Coal is a quest for forms and motives. In spun out, tranquil scenes, the camera glides past huge machines, open spaces and mysterious-looking control rooms. Tiller is primarily inspired by industrial films from the past (especially the 1920s), and the present.
As plot, dialogues and music are absent, Tiller demands a great deal of patience from the viewer, but this also forces us to watch more closely. And he invites us to allow our imaginations to run riot.