LOST NATION, January 1999 (1999)

LOST NATION, January 1999 (1999) poster

In January 1999, at the height of the Lewinsky-Clinton affair, Herman Asselberghs and Dieter Lesage asked me if I would be in for a trip to Lost Nation. They explained this was part of a project they were setting up in Brussels: a place slash library slash installation about vanished nations such as Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, East and West Germany, USSR, and Zaire. But where was Lost Nation? Browsing through their library, Herman and Dieter stumbled onto Lost Nation, an American village located on Highway 136 in Eastern Iowa, with a community of 497 citizens. And so, this little road movie was the result. A trip to a nation where the average citizen spends about 5 years of his lifetime waiting in line, 2 years trying to reach people by telephone, 1 year searching for misplaced objects, 8 months opening junk-mail and 6 months sitting at traffic lights. A nation that attempted to impeach the wrong president.

Director: Johan Grimonprez
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 18 min
Release Date:
Production: Zap-O-Matik
Country: Belgium, United States of America
Language: English
Original Language: en
More Films by Director: Johan Grimonprez
More Films in Genre: Documentary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is LOST NATION, January 1999 about?
In January 1999, at the height of the Lewinsky-Clinton affair, Herman Asselberghs and Dieter Lesage asked me if I would be in for a trip to Lost Nation. They explained this was part of a project they were setting up in Brussels: a place slash library slash installation about vanished nations such as Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, East and West Germany, USSR, and Zaire. But where was Lost Nation? Browsing through their library, Herman and Dieter stumbled onto Lost Nation, an American village located on Highway 136 in Eastern Iowa, with a community of 497 citizens. And so, this little road movie was the result. A trip to a nation where the average citizen spends about 5 years of his lifetime waiting in line, 2 years trying to reach people by telephone, 1 year searching for misplaced objects, 8 months opening junk-mail and 6 months sitting at traffic lights. A nation that attempted to impeach the wrong president.
Who directed LOST NATION, January 1999?
LOST NATION, January 1999 was directed by Johan Grimonprez.
How long is LOST NATION, January 1999?
LOST NATION, January 1999 has a runtime of 18m (18 minutes).
What genre is LOST NATION, January 1999?
LOST NATION, January 1999 is a Documentary film.
Where was LOST NATION, January 1999 produced?
LOST NATION, January 1999 was produced in Belgium, United States of America.