Black Sun

On a summer night in 1978, French artist Hugues de Montalembert was returning to his apartment in New York, when he run into two burglars. During the violent assault that followed, one of them threw paint thinner in his face and within a few moments, the artist went blind. 18 months later he would set out on a journey to the ends of the earth, experiencing a new reality and rediscovering the world – and everyone in it – all over again! “Black Sun” is more than just the documentary of his titanic effort to readjust to this new reality. Using Hugues de Montalembert’s moving narration, British composer and filmmaker Gary Tarn illustrates this staggering confession with a incredible array of images shot on 16mm, used to compose the portrait of a very special person and his rather unexpected reaction to a traumatic experience that changed his life. This ambitious cinematic experiment attempts to recreate – albeit in a rather unconventional, elliptical manner – his protagonist’s new, and almost expressionistic view of the world. “Black Sun” is an unusual rendering of a survival story that will make you see the world though different eyes…