The film leaves the impression of something that lingers after an event – like a silent echo or a remnant of the past. Something that has broken free from gravity. The visually striking imagery reinforces this contemplative effect:

the camera moves amongst four women who appear to be standing in the ocean, floating without restraint, without fear. The title translates as: Whales.

The film, which was shot in Finland, explores a literary text by Taiye Ojo from Nigeria. The collaboration resulted in a series of ‘poetry films’ that interweave voice, image and temporality. Spoken words in modulated rhythms; the moving image refracts the poem as if through prisms, creating delays and echoes, subtle frictions between language and landscape through attention, pauses and sensory experiences.

It is about a moment: when one finds peace and reflects on one’s own life. What do I turn to when I feel ‘unsatisfied’?

The Cologne-based dance filmmaker Michael Maurissens has been combining film with poetry for several years.

The film was shot in Wooroloo, on the outskirts of the Perth metropolitan area. It explores the causes of the climate crisis and the interdependence of humans and nature, focusing in particular on the devastating effects of the bushfires in Western Australia.

Two human figures, invisibly interconnected, appear time and again out in nature. They disappear. They steadily inhabit what is supposedly ‘natural’ space, which, over time, loses its vitality and colour intensity, leaving it looking sallow.

The pipeline featured in the film was built in 1903 to supply remote gold mining settlements with water from the Perth Hills. To this day, the water is pumped out as far as the Wheat Belt, the thriving wheat-growing region.

A young man, played by Tushar Chitte, works in a street kitchen during the day. As soon as he gets home, he puts on his headphones and loses himself in dance. He feels far removed from the city. The title is ‘Double Life’: one online, with music and dance on the screen and for the screen, and the other, more real one. As he loses himself in the former, his connections to reality begin to crumble. Until an experience forces him to confront his relationships and his identity in the pursuit of a life of honour.

A young man wanders through Dar es Salaam, a major city with over 7 million inhabitants on the shores of the Indian Ocean. This meticulously choreographed short film takes the audience on a dreamlike and poetic journey. In this episodic coming-of-age story, various characters and rituals featuring masks and costumes appear, guiding the protagonist on his journey of self-discovery towards acceptance.

In October 2023, the director and choreographer Matthieu Nieto selected five performers for the eight-week project during an audition. The script was developed through a collaborative process in which the participants reflected on their perceptions of themselves within the context of their country, Tanzania. The film was then shot over seven days at the turn of the year 2023/24 at various locations in Dar es Salaam. The collaboration brought together 38 people – professionals and amateurs alike – to form a community.