THE PHANTOM OF THE CINEMA is an animated short film in which we, the theater audience, get an indiscreet look behind the screen of the cinema. The film suddenly jams and breaks, allowing us to see what happens behind the projection screen when everything is going horribly wrong.
After his award winning film VENT, filmmaker Erik van Schaaik presents a new artistic treat that plays with the laws of cinema. He sets off a chain of events that will move, inspire and amuse, outlining a shocking three-way relationship in a strong and original visual style.
OUTLINE
When the film “The Phantom of the Cinema” jams and runs out of the projector, the theater becomes dark. Suddenly a lamp behind the silver screen is switched on. It appears there are three rooms behind the screen: the chefs office, the lavatory with the cleaning lady, and the editing room with the janitor.
We witness them trying to keep the show on track, all as a shadow play on the back of the screen. Ignorant of the fact that we can see their every move the chef shouts at his janitor and continues work on his sick odd job: shooting ‘dirty pictures’ with the cleaning lady. In a chain of disastrous slapstick events the janitor saves the cleaning lady from this horrible tiran. But will we finally get to see the movie we came to see..?