The Myth Revisited

Reiner Holzemer

Magnum in Motion, a traveling festival with films by and about Magnum photographers as well as several essays by the agency's multimedia division, is moving on from Guadalajara to Thessaloníki, Istanbul, New York and Melbourne. It began its worldwide tour at the Berlinale Film Festival in February where it opened with the documentary "Magnum Photos: The Changing of a Myth." The film maker, Reiner Holzemer, shares his experience of revisiting his 10-year-old documentary in the company of Magnum photographers.

Robert Capa shooting film during the Spanish Civil War in October 1938. Gerda Taro.

I arrived in Berlin Friday afternoon. In the evening, my film “Magnum Photos: The Changing of a Myth“ was going to be shown at the Berlin Film Festival 2007. I expected no big event, no big movie theatre and no crowds because the film is almost 10 years old. The only advantages that I saw in this late screening were an invitation to Berlin, a nice hotel room and a festival pass, which would give me access to free tickets.

I was not nervous at all when I entered the Berlinale International Film Festival office. Caroline Walke, the assistant for the special screenings series, said “Hello, good to see you! I have great news. The screening tonight is sold out and all the Magnum photographers, who are in town, will come to see the show. Elliott Erwitt is here, Dennis Stock, Martine Franck, Thomas Höpker, Raymond Depardon (the Oscar winner!) and Donovan Wylie. Your film will be the opening of the Magnum in Motion series.“ Now I became nervous, when I left the office.

I remembered the pressure that I felt when I was shooting the film in 1998 and the sickness that came along with the long editing process.

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