This is a cutting edge documentary about the Avant Garde art movement conceived by American scientist, poet and thinker John Allen, in the 70s. The film is based on a critiqued published by the film’s director Ishmael Annobil in 2000. The film utilises the text of the critique as narration, which is delivered in a surreal setting by actress Alexandra Frances, as the spirit of the Transvangarde.The film also features an interview with John Allen, the founder, which is both insightful and electrifying. He takes the audience through the events and processes leading to his discovery of a parallel world of Avant Garde artists working in all cultures, from Berber North Africa to Japan, and also his primeval experiences as a correspondent in the Vietnam War. 

In the Presence of Awe – The Transvangarde takes the art movement’s 2000 exhibition as the point of departure, interpreting the works in that watershed exposition, side by side with John Allen’s lucid analysis and historical anecdotes. This creates a unique storytelling approach, which renders the two different accounts feel seamless and deliberate.

The writer/producer/director of the film, Ishmael Annobil, is the founder of Stonedog Productions Ltd, an international collective that prides itself on its ability to produce cutting edge films without funding, relying purely on the storytelling, artistic, and technical skills of its members. 

The film has benefited from it collaboration with leading London sound-post house, Tate Post, the sound designers/engineers of famous films such as Harry Porter, Lady Godive, and Hellboy II.
Cinematography is by talented young South African William Olivier George, who also co-composed the film’s futuristic score with the director. He shares the editing credits with Italian editorFrancesco Caradonna and Norwegian Merethe Rosvold. Lighting is by Israeli Ori Batut. Narration is the inimitable actress and cabaret perfromer Alexandra Frances.

Producer/Director: Ishmael Fiifi Annobil | Cinematography: William Olivier George | Editors: William Olivier, Francesco Caradonna, and Merethe Rosvold | Motion Graphics: Murat Kuscu | Lighting: Ori Batut | Camera: William Olivier and Ishmael Annobil | Production Management: Sharon Tang