Program 4: The Body And The Mind
Saturday, February 26, 2022
12:00 p.m. Varsity Center
This program of narratives and experimental films is about difference- especially about different bodies and their challenges. We will meet protagonists who encounter and push beyond their limits with determination, persistence and humor to find self revelation, jubilation, and sometimes disappointment.
I’m Doing Well. How Are You? (d. Liam Porter)
Animation – 1 minute
Being told that everyone around us is “doing well” creates a misunderstanding in our minds that we are the only ones dealing with internal chaos. When we feel down among people who claim to be doing well, it exacerbates our distress. Contrarily, as we tell everyone that we are “doing well,” we begin to believe that our internal angst is wrong. So, we suppress feelings of sadness, anger, and anxiety. These feelings build up until they are expressed in the form of mistreatment of those around us. Through this film, I hope to allow people to unabashedly feel down and look at our interactions beyond the self-imposed masks.
My Body Fell From Heaven (d. Dani Hoerle)
Experimental Documentary – 9 minutes
My Body Fell From Heaven is an experimental documentary that explores the intricacies of existing as a trans body in a world that caters to the opposite. Through conversations with friends and dreamy visuals, My Body Fell From Heaven allows for greater insight into the trans experience.
Oliver Tibbold (d. Sarah Falkiner)
Narrative – 5 minutes
www.shytownsugar.com
Oliver finds himself stuck between his past and the reality of his dwindling independence as he is hit with reality.
Pharmakosis (d. SL Pang)
Smart Phone – 13 minutes
ourlovewillflyusintoamountain.com
We live in a world where looking and being looked at has become a kind of currency, where “likes” have literally become income. How can we locate or make space for the radical Other in a visual economy of carefully curated bubbles of desired images that suppress the representation of the unrecognizable, the undesirable and the unfathomable while simultaneously repressing the ability of the undesired or unacceptable to participate in the act of looking? How can we represent this subject position of Otherness, which we know to be inherently unspecific and unfamiliar yet at the same time unfixed and mutable, without an excessive or inappropriate reliance on any particular known human group? In PHARMAKOSIS , a series of confrontations at a museum illustrates this exclusive economy of images and illuminates a complex set of permission structures surrounding who is allowed to look and who is not. Employing guerilla filmmaking tactics and “poor materials” such as a camera phone, PHARMAKOSIS uses structural, narrative and documentary aspects to articulate the position of the Pharmakos – the figure in ancient greek religion who was ritually expelled from the polis in the belief that such sacrifice would bring about purification.
A Different Kind Of Different (d. Silvia Alison Turchin)
Experimental – 9 minutes
A Different Kind of Different, an animated short film by Jordan Baseman, charts the psychological impact of breast cancer. Reflecting on the initial ordeal of loss, the film reveals a journey to acceptance via the liberation of mastectomy tattoos – “holy fucking crap!”
Featuring a cast of hand-drawn characters, A Different Kind of Different’s narrative follows protagonist, Alicia (voiced by an actor). Her story is based on interviews with people who have chosen to wear mastectomy tattoos, and on conversations with scientists and academics. With both candour and humour, Alicia reflects on life after breast cancer; from the hatred she feels towards her body, to her declaration that her post-chemo hair means she resembles Justin Timberlake (“are you fucking kidding me?”). She recounts the jolt of medical menopause, her rejection of breast reconstruction, followed by her encounter with mastectomy tattoos, and finally the realisation of her own joyful inking.
The Other Side (d. Jakub Zalewski)
Documentary – 13 minutes
Marcin is a big hearted person with a large amount of energy for living. His biggest dream is a carrer in a e-sport world and he does everything to develop himself in what he really loves. On the other side of the screen life is diffrent. There are moments of joy and happiness, but also sadness and loneliness. This is a story about huge passion and fear of the future.
Mazzarello (d. Carmen Rachiteanu)
Documentary – 19 minutes
Amalia is a national amateur boxing champion in Argentina. She decides to leave everything behind and head to Germany, hoping to become a professional boxer. She then meets Kai, a severe looking coach with a soft side. This film is the intimate portrait of their encounter.
30,000 Strikes (d. Dmitry Oleinik)
Documentary – 31 minutes
If your ‘dream’ of climbing Mount Elbrus is really just a vague idea, you won’t succeed. You don’t ascend Elbrus simply for a medal or a photo. But if it’s your ultimate goal and you’re truly determined, nothing will stop you. Rustam Nabiev, who lost his legs in 2015 when his military barracks in Omsk collapsed, climbed Mount Elbrus on his hands – a first in the history of mountain climbing.