In Mamuthones/Issohadores, Ulla von Brandenburg explores the in uence and persistence of millennium-old tra- ditions in Sardinia and questions their persistence and in uence on the island’s life today. The lm was commis- sioned by the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in occasion of the 150 years of Italian independancy.
In particular, von Brandenburg was assigned the region of Sardinia. Pursuing her continued interest in theatre, stage, and rules of performance to engage with cultural or folkrore from different moments in history to explore how stories, rituals, and symbols of the past have constituted our societies, Mamuthones/Issohadores refers more speci cally to
Tour near the Sanctuary of San
Cosimo, a former site for pagan worship of
ancient times, the movie reactive symbolic complex
sacred and that permeates this place. At a
Carnival, the Mamuthones (black masks)
and Issohadores (white masks) repeat
old choreographies that refer to the relationship between master and slave. By appropriating these disturbing masks, Ulla von Brandenburg
re ects on the persistence and ambiguity
mechanisms of power in today’s society.
circular structure (ritual)