Break no. 1 & Break no. 2. 2024. China. Directed by Lei Lei. DCP. North American Premiere. In Chinese; English subtitles. 18 min.
An assemblage of still images and video work, both real and imagined, Break no. 1 & Break no. 2 explores the fragility of human memory as it relates to the moving image and the unconscious. In Break no. 1, a silent narrator deals with the fallout of a friend’s suicide through dreams after photographs of the two of them together mysteriously disappear. In Break no. 2, the narrator floats through the endless corridors of a video hall, where the imposition of government censorship affects the ways in which the videotapes advertised there are consumed and remembered.
The night of the minotaur. 2023. Colombia. Directed by Juliana Zuluaga Montoya. DCP. North American Premiere. In Spanish; English subtitles. 11 min.
In a fantastic tale spun from archival material, Juliana Zuluaga Montoya explores the origins of pornographic cinema in Colombia, sparked by Luz Emilia García. In early-20th-century Colombia, in a small village surrounded by enigmatic wilderness, García becomes the master of ceremonies presiding over the debaucherous Night of the Minotaur.
Kill 'Em All. 2023. Mexico. Directed by Sebastian Molina Ruiz. DCP. North American Premiere. In Spanish; English subtitles. 19 min.
In this coming-of-age story, teenagers Mila and Carolina are close confidantes who live on opposite sides of Mexico City. They exchange diaristic videos that document their experiences growing up and their feelings toward the obligations, both familial and personal, they each face. Eventually, they decide to meet in person.
The Porn Selector. 2024. France/USA. Directed by Lou Fauroux. World Premiere. 13 min.
Lou Fauroux’s The Internet Collapse project asks: is there life after the Internet? The first installment in this series, The Porn Selector, follows former porn star turned porn producer Kasey Warner, who aims to corner the post-Internet market on pornography by selecting, downloading, and preserving different types of porn before they disappear. Innovatively using a variety of digital production techniques, Fauroux guides us through the ethical quandaries and quagmires of the Internet as we know it––in all its unrelenting, omnipresent glory.
Digital Devil Saga. 2024. USA. Directed by Cameron Worden. 35mm. North American Premiere. 11 min.
A dizzying blend of .jpg, GIF, and .mov images scoured from every corner of the Internet are set, one image for each frame, to a soundtrack featuring heavy hitters from Chicago’s drill rap scene. Printed and presented on archival-grade 35mm ESTAR Base film stock, Cameron Worden’s film ensures that the not-so-blessed digital imagery of the 21st century will be preserved for decades to come.
Please note: this film contains strobing effects.
Program 71 min.