Pointing to the Sun and Laughing (On a Stack of Poems)

A film-poem created for Counterclock Journal's 2023 Patchwork: Film x Poetry fellowship, featuring an original poem by Mackenzie Duan and animation by Evan Bode.

In 1995, an astronomer proposed a peculiar project. It was to use the Hubble Telescope to capture a small part of the universe that was then known to be a void. In 1447 in Chosun Dynasty, Prince Anpyeong had a dream of walking through a peach blossom forest shrouded in clouds and mist, and he asked the painter, Ahn Gyeon, to capture it in a painting. Through the juxtaposition of the two historical anecdotes, the film examines the images of ‘the far and near’ through printing, transforming, and distorting the photos from the NASA Image and Video Library.

As Black and LGBTQ+ History Month begin this February, material science clothing brand PANGAIA leads celebrations with a poetic film that honors these two communities. Following a year of isolation, and with it a deeper understanding of the importance of outdoor spaces and the environment, Wè is a portrait of the self-love and acceptance we have learned to show others and gift to ourselves.

After waking up with amnesia on the beach, the protagonist is pursued by the police to face the consequences of an unknown past. This soundscape uses tension as a tool to explore how uncertainty, anguish and urgency mobilize a body that would otherwise remain paralyzed in time.

A moving recording of the late writer and renowned jazz singer Abbey Lincoln is captured in this new film from Brooklyn-born director Rodney Passé, who has previously worked with powerhouse music video director Khalil Joseph. Reading from her own works, Lincoln’s voice sets the tone for a film that explores the African American experience through fathers and their sons.

Ayush suffers from sleep paralysis and dark hallucinations, haunted by shadowy figures that represent his repressed fears. Trapped between dream and reality, he confronts these manifestations of his inner turmoil.

About the poet C.A.Conrad, an eccentric Elvis worshiping poet and tarot card reader, who confronts his violent past and the suspicious death of his boyfriend, Earth. The film attempts to unravel the mystery of Earth's death, while Conrad wrestles with his inner demons through a series of unconventional rituals and a tour of the deep South.

Tara and Maya are inseparable, with the same tastes, habits, and hobbies. Years later, the two have matured but have maintained their friendship. Tara marries local prince Raj Singh, who succeeds the throne as the sole heir. After the marriage, Raj seeks another female to satisfy his sexual desires, with his sights settling on Maya, putting a perhaps unforgivable strain on a longtime friendship.

The sun’s energy circulates throughout the earth, feeding the cycle of life. Everything is connected in a natural loop, which repeats, like the circular discs of magical optical toys. This perfectly balanced rhythm is disrupted by human excess, throwing the cycle out of orbit and temporarily stopping the circulation of energy in nature.

Language of Mules is a poignant exploration of the haunting legacy of the Holocaust through the eyes and words of poet and author John Guzlowski. Born to Polish parents who survived the unimaginable horrors of Nazi concentration camps, Guzlowski's poems give voice to the stories passed down from his parents, stories of suffering, resilience, and survival. The film interweaves interviews with Guzlowski in his home in Virginia, with vivid poetic depictions of his parents' harrowing experiences: the brutality of the German soldiers, the daily horrors of camp life, physical torture, and enslavement in conditions that dehumanized those who endured them. With profound sensitivity and depth, Language of Mules becomes not just a retelling of history, but a meditation on the enduring impact of war on the human psyche.

17-year-old Asher is split between his charismatic teacher and his brash father, who wants him to take over his scaffolding business.

A 1-hour Documentary looking at the Manchester post-punk group and its infamous leader Mark E Smith. The Film follows the current band recording their final Session for the John Peel Show (they were his favourite group and recorded more sessions than any other band) as well as chronicling the chaotic history of the band & its numerous line-up changes.

A new exploration of familiar places located in the region of Rhône and Isère throught an reinvention of digital nuances, a study of perceptions and fluidity around the nature of motion in landscapes and human interactions.

Cacaso, a Brazilian poet, lived in Rio de Janeiro. Born Antonio Carlos de Brito (1944-1987) he was one of the leaders of the marginal poetry movement. Cacaso filled notebooks not only with poems but reflections, drawings and collages. He also became a lyricist and partner of celebrated songwriters such as Tom Jobim, Edu Lobo, Toninho Horta, João Donato and Sivuca.

A couple, about whom nothing is known, finds itself forced to live in the abyss of the end of time-a time when a mysterious fog encompassed all our societal and moral achievements with unequivocal cruelty.

Ramsés begins to experience disturbing changes in his body and mind, unsettling shifts that disrupt his daily life. Soon he realizes he is no longer alone in his own skin: the demon Asmodeus has taken control. Under this possession, Ramsés is driven into a spiral of desire and violence, seeking out both men and women to consume through blood and sex, feeding the darkest temptations of the demon within. As reality and delusion blur, Ramsés struggles to hold onto what remains of his humanity while Asmodeus leads him ever deeper into a world of lust, horror, and destruction.

An elderly woman finds out by the rumors of her friends that a teenager in her neighborhood has been kicked out of her home for being a lesbian. This triggers a traumatic memory that will reunite her with whom she really is, even if it means loosing her friends.

Two Italian brothers, Franco and Giovanni, are marked by envy and resentment. While Giovanni, a talented painter, gains recognition in Brazil, Franco stays in Italy, enjoying the attention of their parents —attention that was always denied to the younger brother. When Franco asks Giovanni for a painting during a brief trip to Brazil, the bitterness between them reaches a breaking point, revealing a truth as painful as the artwork created.

Animation inspired by the poem “The Infinite” by Giacomo Leopardi.

A homeless man searches for a safe place on a cold winter night.