Spotlight: (Re)Formations
In her recent work on exodus, documentarian Simone Bitton says “My camera always searches for the past, but always films in the present.” In this Spotlight, films respond to pivotal experiences of (re)formation, oscillating between the past and present, individual and collective inquiry. In Romania, an archival romp through television ads is as much an exploration of the nation’s current psyche as it is of its socialist past. Artists from China and Iran reconsider themselves and their creative practices in the aftermath of exile and censorship. And in northern India, shunned women flee to an old city to walk their new lives as widows—with riots of colour.
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Films
Among Mountains and Streams
Jean-François Lesage, Canada, 2024, 99 mins
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In the stillness of a remote forest, painter Meng Huang and writer Ma Jian move through a landscape resonant with the quiet hum of birdsong and the rush of a river. Exiled from China, their journey through the forest explores the tension between survival and resistance, and the power of art. As they engage in quiet rituals—building a fire, sharing a meal, painting among the trees—their conversations, shaped by memories of the Tiananmen Square massacre, reveal that creation is not just an act of expression; they see art as a fragile yet defiant response to oppression. Jean-François Lesage’s Among Mountains and Streams immerses us in a world where nature and art become the ultimate defiance.
Eight Postcards from Utopia
Radu Jude, Christian Ferencz-Flatz, Romania, 2024, 71 mins
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Acclaimed filmmaker Radu Jude crafts an ambitious found-footage documentary tracing Romania’s post-communist evolution through its most voluminous cultural archive: Television commercials. Divided into eight thematic sections and an epilogue, the film captures the shifting aspirations, contradictions, and creative endeavours of a country in economic and cultural transition. The frenetic pace is spurred along by the uniqueness of the commercials and public service announcements, which vary in production value and quality. Eight Postcards from Utopia is as much about utopia as it is a collective rejection of dystopia.
Free Party
Fabianny Deschamps, France, 2024, 91 mins
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In a hidden city of widows in northern India, women abandoned by society walk the pilgrimage path, chanting Krishna’s name as they await reincarnation. Stripped of their identities and forced into exile, they survive on faith and charity. But even here, joy is not forgotten. FREE PARTY captures a rare moment of defiance—where music, colour, and celebration erupt against centuries of oppression. With striking cinematography and rich sound design, Fabianny Deschamps brings us into their world, where resilience turns suffering into solidarity, and tradition is rewritten in bursts of life and rebellion.
Higher Than Acidic Clouds
Ali Asgari, Iran, 2024, 71 mins
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Ali Asgari’s mournful depiction of Tehran blends personal memory with quiet defiance. In shades of grey, the city unfurls as both a dreamscape and a site of erasure: Childhood alleys have been replaced by towering facades and his life's work—his films, computer, hard drives, passport, and phone—have all been confiscated by the state. As oppressive acidic clouds loom outside his balcony, Asgari’s voice-over drifts across the landscapes of Tehran, Iceland, and Rome. In this apocalyptic reverie, wings emerge from the desperate urge to escape. And yet, hope lingers in Asgari’s recount of his father’s final days.
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