SHADOW TOWN: IS AIT AN MAC AN SAOL

Choreography of familiar gestures that the author was able to spice up with a peculiar and original perspective.

Como se Ninguém Estivesse Olhando

A short film on breathing and quiet afternoons.

A generational trauma through the lens of an Asian American teenager through food and poetry.

The study of the artistic work and its relationship with the author generates reflections on the connection between the material and the spiritual. The Dance of Icarus is a poetic documentary that offers an open space for reflection, like a tribal dance. Through the effort, passion and imagination of the artist José Benítez, the pictorial process becomes a profound relationship between the artist and the canvas, raising unanswered questions about creation. This documentary, loaded with symbolism, invites a total immersion in the creative process. Directed by Jesús Jiménez, this debut film is presented as an expressionist work that celebrates art in its purest and most visceral form, exploring the dimensions of artistic creation and its impact on the viewer.

Women find empowerment behind the red nose and makeup, revealing the playful and subversive spirit of female clowning. Through poetic and intimate performances, the clowns share stories that go beyond laughter, exploring their role as manipulators of energy and expression.

Carefully picked scenes of nature and civilization are viewed at high speed using time-lapse cinematography in an effort to demonstrate the history of various regions.

Exploration of the ordinary lives led by women of different classes—a college professor, an unmarried woman, and a seasoned drama artist. They unveil the societal intricacies woven into their social backgrounds, with typical evening talks besides them. Gripping tales of yore immersed in the metaphorical embrace of their surroundings, their familial shelters are emblematic of resilience and protection, where profound truths lie hidden within the depths of the commonplace.

In 1952, Haanstra made Panta Rhei , another view of Holland through the eyes of a painter and filmmaker. Its poetic images of water, skies and clouds reflect Haanstra's own moods.

Con Traje y Sin Zapatos

A short film following Anthony, a young child from the small, rural town of San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. We see him in different moments of his daily life as he interacts with different forms of environmental, familial, and social influences. While Anthony displays contradictory traits of creativity, destruction, rigidity, and tenderness as he interacts with his external and internal worlds, we see a story built from the the multidimensionality of Anthony's layered personality as a young man.

A poetic short film showing a day in the 2019 protests in Santiago, Chile through documentary images.

"The Boy Of The Fish" follows Noon, a young boy living in a Syrian refugee camp, who finds solace and a sense of freedom in a whale-shaped doll he names "Bahr." Set against the challenging realities of camp life, Noon’s journey is both a story of resilience and a testament to the boundless imagination of childhood. Through vivid symbolism and a unique soundscape, the film explores themes of loss, hope, and the longing for freedom amidst confinement. Shot entirely on an iPhone due to restrictions in the conflict zone, the film combines raw authenticity with poetic depth to capture the emotional landscape of a young soul navigating adversity.

Sol de Mayo

This short documentary, shot in the glass factories of Leerdam and Schiedam, demonstrates how glass blowers do their work. But thanks to the superbly edited ballet of working hands and the sequence of mechanical motions of the engines, is it especially a cinematic tour de force. That the industry can’t do without man’s involvement is shown in the scene where we hear the voice of Haanstra himself counting the bottles on the conveyor belt, until one bottle breaks…

Lugar de Nadie

We observe the daily routines of an elderly couple. Within the quiet flow of time, a longing for youth and irretrievable memories begin to surface. This piece reflects the sorrow hidden in the stillness of old age and the deep yearning for the past.

A young filmmaker maintains an epistolary conversation with his deceased grandmother while he rediscovers the space they both inhabited for more than a decade.

Filmed during lockdown 2020, ‘de Luz/Of Light’ explores fleeting perceptions and cyclic rituals of Portuguese coastal landscapes, specifically surrounding the Cabo Sardão Lighthouse in Beja, and constructs a complex audio-visual narrative through collaging together various natural rhythms (such as the sun and motion of the sea). This film is intended for screening with a 16:27 aspect ratio. The soundtrack was composed by sound artist Michelle Lewis-King.

A woman narrates the thoughts of a world traveler, meditations on time and memory expressed in words and images from places as far-flung as Japan, Guinea-Bissau, Iceland, and San Francisco.