Tale of the Tongs
A documentary film by Judith and Stanley Hallet
In 2013, architect Travis Price and his students from The Catholic University of America designed an architectural installation on the island of Inishturk in Ireland. The studio, Spirit of Place, explores the connection between culture, landscape and the unique history of its inhabitantsbringing back meaning into modern architecture – a new architecture of the 21stcentury.
Over nine days,the students build a memorial on this remote, sparsely populated island, interweaving the construction with profiles of the people who live on Inishturk. Tale of the Tongs presents an insight into this emerging cultural landscape of modern architecture.
Short Trailer Tale of the Tongs
In 2013, architect Travis Price and his students from The Catholic University of America designed an architectural installation on the island of Inishturk in Ireland. The studio, Spirit of Place, explores the connection between culture, landscape and the unique history of its inhabitants bringing back meaning into modern architecture – a new architecture of the 21st century.
Over nine days,the students build a memorial on this remote, sparsely populated island, interweaving the construction with profiles of the people who live on Inishturk. Tale of the Tongspresents an insight into this emerging cultural landscape of modern architecture.
Full Film Tale of the Tongs
Judith Dwan Hallet Director Statement
I produced and directed the documentary, Tale of the Tongs, with my husband, Stanley Hallet who was the cameraman and editor of the film. We were essentially a two person crew spending twelve days on the island of Inishturk off the Western coast of Ireland in June, 2013, filming students from The Catholic University of America erecting an architectural installation on Inishturk in nine days. It was not an easy shoot being in a remote location without transportation and facing every day a construction site with generator noise, high winds and bad weather but we persisted, and made the film. During the filming we fell in love with the beauty of the island and its people. The memorial the students built is dedicated to all the people who left and all who remained on the island since the Great Irish Diaspora. The memorial reflects the environment, the culture and the legends of the island. Built with steel, glass and stone, the architectural installation grows out of the stark landscape, representing a new modern architecture for the 21st century. Along with the construction of the memorial in nine days, we interviewed several people who live on the island reflecting on their lives and the impact of the famine on the island in the 19th century. With this documentary, we hope people will discover vicariously this beautiful, remote island in County Mayo and hopefully want to visit Inishturk and spend time at the memorial as well as travel to all the other untouched areas along the coastline of County Mayo.
The Painted Truck
1972
A Documentary by Judith Dwan and Stanley Hallet with Sebastian Schroeder
In Afghanistan everyone paints their trucks, and these gaily-decorated vehicles are seen everywhere, carrying goods, animals and people. In this lively, colorful film, full of humor and the infectious music of Afghanistan, the people themselves speak about their life and their work. Made in 1972, the film has become a cult film among Afghans living in the United States who have never seen their country in a time of peace. The documentary offers a glimpse at what it was like when Afghanistan was a far away, exotic kingdom in the Hindu Kush. It was a time before the overthrow its king in 1973, and long before the Russian invasion, the American intervention, and the Taliban.
Assisted by:
Jean Charles Blanc, Ursula Klar and Razeldad
In 1971, long before the Russian take over, before the Taliban and before the Americans, Afghanistan was a kingdom. It was a time of relative peace. An old truck needs a new paint job. Afghans like to decorate their trucks with pictures and vivid colors, often images from paradise. We meet the owner, driver and assistant driver of the truck. Once the truck is repainted, it goes on a two-day road trip to Bamiyan in the Hindu Kush. This film has become a cult classic among Afghan exiles, few who even remember such peaceful days. People interested in culture, travel and Afghanistan in a time without war should find this chapter fascinating. Length: 27: 30 Copyright 1972
Special Thanks to:
The Afghan Tourist Bureau
Radio Afghanistan
The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Nomads of Badakshan
1972
A Documentary by Judith Dwan and Stanley Hallet
Filmed1971 in Afghanistan by Judy and Stanley Hallet, while Stanley was on a Fulbright mission to the Department of Architecture at the University of Afghanistan in Kabul, it follows a group of nomads for three days as they move their animals from their summer camp to their winter camp. The film takes place in the province of Badakshan in Northern Afghanistan a few years before the Russian invasion, civil war, the Taliban and the eventual presence of American troops.
Made with a limited budget of $5000, a few rolls of 16mm film requiring a shooting ratio of 4 to 1, every foot of film was edited to the fullest advantage.
Originally intended as a teaching tool, the film evolves to become a more intimate story of a simple family led by a relatively successful nomad, who proudly lists a grandmother, a single wife, many animals, three sons, and for a moment, forgets to mention his two beautiful daughters.