A Tibetan girl named Yuzhen came back to Lhasa from studying in the interior China for her grandmother's funeral. Unexpectedly, getting the altitude sickness prevents her from lighting a lamp for the late grandma. In her dream, she found the grandma in a temple, and what happened in that journey has created some subtle connections to the real life.
North American Premiere
The Entangled Forest
The Entangled Forest is a film which explores the multifaceted interrelationships between trees and fungi within forest ecologies. Featuring the voice of ecologist Suzanne Simard, and her ground-breaking research into tree and fungi communities, the documentary reflects on the ‘biological neural network’ of forest ecosystems, and how the reciprocal, shared behaviour of mycelium and trees creates a resilient and healthy community of co-dependent species.
Bittersweet Becoming
Karla Rae James is a vivacious a trans woman in her 60’s, living in Toronto. While most people her age are planning their retirement, Karla is in a race against time. After taking care of her ailing mother, Karla returns to Toronto with a generous inheritance and her mother’s blessing to finally complete her decade-long late-age transition on her own terms.
WHEN THE NIGHT COMES
During The First World War Maria finds out her husband Jan is in the hospital. It turns out the man does not recognize her. Maria has doubts whether Jan has actually lost his memory, or is he lying to avoid punishment for potential desertion. The many understatements and secrets cause confusion. Night mixes with day, for both the audience, and our heroes. Is any of this real? Maybe it's all a dream, maybe a figment of a traumatized mind.
Aavasavyuham – The arbit documentation of an amphibian hunt
The fragile ecosystem of ‘Puthuyvype’ a small island in Kochi, the exotic migration of birds to the mangroves, the fisherman and the impending danger from a petroleum company has contributed to Joy’s metamorphosis. Locals recall in a tale mixed with myth, divinity and disturbing ecological disruptions 'Joy' may not be just an ordinary man
LIGHT
Light was sexually assaulted by his stepfather and has always been lack of love in his childhood. He could never escape from that place where hardly can be called home and was forced to prostitute since then. Shuo was an undercover cop who was trying to reach the drug cartel's boss by working in the tailor shop. One day, Light met a new client who bashed him hard on the street. Shou found him and brought back unconscious Light, providing him a shelter. Can Light face his trauma and live with it?