Mathilde, a comic strip artist, lives alone in a house-studio in the country. While she's working hard on her new futuristic adventures album of Saul, her astronaut hero, she is offered a box of old pencils by her neighbor, a second-hand dealer, without imagining for a moment that they have an extraordinary power. Thanks to them, everything Mathilde draws can come true.
North American Premiere
Guardian of the Steppe
On his inaugural day as wildlife inspector, the young and idealistic Zharas teams up with the seasoned Asylbek against poachers in the steppe's expansive wilderness, where they confront moral quandaries, clash due to divergent methods, and forge an improbable connection in their mission to safeguard endangered species. Amidst the precarious realm of nature and their conflicting ideologies, they must navigate a challenging path to uphold the delicate harmony between mankind and wildlife.
Blue and White
Ryusuke, mourning his wife, ceaselessly crafts salt, even during her funeral. Witnessing this, granddaughter Midori probes his motives. Safeguarding the region's unique salt-making legacy is Ryusuke's mission. In conversing with salt, he strives to pass down its ancient flavor. Could Ryusuke's bond with salt link him to his departed wife?
Tinnitus
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.
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.