An emigrant musician can’t recall the stories of his birthplace. A mother keeps the restaurant open, hoping her son returns. A cowboy wonders what’ll become of his cows. A widow cares for a chapel no one visits. And the oldest woman remembers everything—especially that—Estantegas. Under the burning sun, a strange figure roams the empty landscape of Portugal’s Minho with a boom pole, meeting the remaining inhabitants and capturing their memories on a sound recorder. An ethnographic ghost document
North American Premiere
Prehistoric (Maghabl-e Tarikh)
"Prehistoric" follows Nina, who refuses to accept the death of her partner and continues to seek the validation he once gave her. As she prepares for a demanding theater performance that eerily mirrors her life, the line between stage and reality begins to blur. Through this performative process, she gradually sheds her dependence on his memory and, for the first time, embraces her own power.
People, Gods and other Creatures
On the remote Greek island of Gavdos, a sanctuary for free spirits and dropouts from across the globe, a dancer named Pavlina struggles to unite the divided island community, whose clashes over tradition, globalization, and individualism mirror the turmoil of the modern world.
Black Cotton
A slave sold to a cotton factory by his own brother, with the help of the dead, returned for revenge with silent rage.
Ukko
Ten-year-old girl Olei lives with her grandparents and her only friend – Kaunikki the cow in a withering Karelian village on the shores of the White Sea. Suddenly, the girl's grandfather passes away. While her grandmother, gripped by the bitterness of loss, conducts funeral rituals, Olei seeks solace in Kaunikki’s company. But on the funeral eve Kaunikki disappears, and the only person, who could help find her, is dead.
ADAM
In contemporary South Africa, we follow Adam Coetzee, whose life takes an unexpected turn when his mother enrols him in the Prinsloo Bush School. Carol’s decision is influenced by her boyfriend, Rian, who believes the school holds the key to fixing Adam’s problems. Once at the Bush School, Adam quickly discovers that the school’s training methods, led by the rigid and militaristic Derek, are unlike anything he’s ever experienced.