Love and magic collide in this selection of films which zips across the surreal and the sublime to build a wondrous world where life is explored through a dazzling array of events. Rituals and economies, vision and enlightenment, construction and destruction, the Earth's axis and even the passionate poetry of the bolero combine to explore the very deepest mysteries of the heart. From speculative visions of Jakarta to Colombian building sites and extremist convents, this selection of films is truly transnational in every sense.
Sawo Matang | Andrea Nirmala Widjajanto | Indonesia | 2023 | 20mins
Jakarta, sometime in the future: native Indonesians (Pribumi) are allowed to perform a black magic ritual to balance their economy against Chinese Indonesians. When Kai, a Chinese Indonesian boy, needs money for university, he asks his best friend Nala, a Pribumi girl, to perform the ritual.
The Blind | Michiel Robberecht | Belgium | 2023 | 20mins
For generations, the blind inhabitants of a village have lived in fear of a rumbling, hissing sound they hear at night. They believe it to be a monster, lurking in wait for them. One day, the young Amin decides to investigate further.
Nothing But Shadows | Kathy Mitrani | Colombia | 2023 | 22mins
On the anniversary of her husband’s death, Marisol's neighbour begins construction work and uncovers human remains. The coincidence of this discovery terrorises Marisol, a superstitious visionary, and forces her to face up to the mortality of her own existence.
Bolero | Nans Laborde-Jourdàa | France | 2023 | 16mins
Fran has returned home to relax and visit his mother. Following the jerky rhythms of Bolero, this journey along the paths of memory and desire leads him and the whole village to a joyfully chaotic climax.
Sisters of the Rotation | Michel Zarazir, Gaby Zarazir | Lebanon | 2023 | 14mins
A dark comedy set in the unusual Sisters of the Rotation convent where a group of Catholic nuns are encumbered with an extraordinarily important task: literally keeping the Earth turning on its axis.
