In 2004, the Filmbank and the Filmmuseum in Amsterdam published mm2: Experimentele film in Nederland (Experimental Film in the Netherlands), a survey of the classical avant-garde film in the Netherlands. Since then, the art and media landscapes have undergone major changes, and a new generation of directors has come of age, offering new outlooks and strategies. The new developments have occasioned this scintillating, provocative overview: cubic, since most of the artists discussed here add an extra dimension to the presentation of their work, from a 3D application of film media to a musical or other live performance. Apart from such literally 3D dimensions of film as art work, the term 'cubic film' also refers to the search for the 'ideal' film. The raw film material is edited, refined, and polished in the endless process of research and development. A description of that search offered here is perhaps as important as the conclusion that such ideal film is not to be found. This cutting-edge exploration of the film as medium consists of eleven in-depth interviews with young Dutch visual artists who have enriched or renewed the language of film.
Abrahams looks into the process of this renewal in relation to their work, their motivation, their successes and failures. In addition, the book includes a brief anthology, as well as a forecast for the future of the genre.