Photogénies

An exploration —manipulated and staged— of life in Las Hurdes, in the province of Cáceres, in Extremadura, Spain, as it was in 1932. Insalubrity, misery and lack of opportunities provoke the emigration of young people and the solitude of those who remain in the desolation of one of the poorest and least developed Spanish regions at that time. (Silent short, voiced in 1937 and 1996.)

Charles Santore, in an expansion of his discussion in “Oz: The American Fairyland” (1997) (V), tells about his experience making an abridged storybook of “The Wizard of Oz”. He tells of his inspirations, the little girl who modeled for Dorothy, the tin man in folk art, and a left to right progression in a journey of identity, with opposing forces pushing the movement in art back to the left.

Short film about an animal in captivity longing for the outside. An animal that, like us, dreams, is intelligent, curious, social and sensitive, and in whom we can clearly recognise a soul. The piglet in this movie invites us to see the world through his eyes, which will forever change our view on pigs.

A documentary short that follows a 13-year-old girl named Nejmia, who lives in Sana’a and refuses to wear the veil.

In the hills of rural Pennsylvania, the leader of a local militia must prepare his men for the turbulent political landscape of 2020 while at war with his own conscience. For over ten years, 48-year-old Iraqi War Veteran and machinist Christian Yingling has commanded a troop of private militiamen and women concerned with the government’s infringement on their constitutional rights. The group practices paramilitary drills, stockpiles food and ammo, and attends gun rights rallies in preparation for a doomsday scenario. Now that a worldwide pandemic has hit, followed by a summer of racial injustice protests and a Presidential election like no other, Christian—out of work and nearly out of money—must confront his allegiance and choose to act or not.

Benjamin and Awad run Sudan's national film archive. The two men, who have worked together for more than 40 years, are devoted to protecting their country's visual memories. Home to some 13,000 films, the archive preserves pivotal moments of Sudan's turbulent history and is one of the largest in Africa. But the archive is in a fragile state. Following years of neglect and poor storage, many film reels are turning to dust in Sudan's unforgiving tropical climate. The two friends are determined to turn it around and embark on a mission to save the old films. Will they succeed in preserving Sudan's visual history for future generations before it's too late?

During his adventure in Mexico, Sergei Eisenstein made footage of a Mexican "Death Day" celebration for inclusion in his "Que Viva Mexico!" film project. When the 200,000-plus feet of film he eventually exposed in Mexico was first attempted to be made into a feature film, "Thunder Over Mexico", the producers excluded the Death Day material for subsequent compilation as an independent short subject. Silent with music track and explanatory English intertitles.

Manon de Boer films the dancer Cynthia Loemij, who improvises to Eugène Ysaÿe’s 3 Sonates for Violin Solo.