12+
Documentary
76 min
These short films explore the complexities of exile, connection, tradition, and the perpetual cycle of departure and return. Each story is a reflection on the human condition, inviting contemplation on how we navigate our existence in an ever-changing world. This theme reflects on how leaving a place can be both an end and a beginning, offering an opportunity to reflect about the fleeting nature of joy, connecting beyond language, and developing comfort in the unfamiliar.
PROGRAMME:
SELF-PRESERVING NUDITY
Nelly Shylova, 2005, IE, UA, 7'
After her death by a russian missile, a Ukrainian woman finds herself in the purgatory of the Irish countryside — between past and present, life and death. A debut short film by Nelly Shylova is a poetic film-essay about trauma, exile as death, and the struggle to exist in an unreal world.
A SHOULDER TO CRY ON
Santwana Bayaskar, 2024, IN, 25'
An Indian filmmaker’s visit disrupts the quiet life of a Romanian couple. Unable to share a common language, they connect through funeral songs, shared meals, and silence, forming a tender bond that questions whether grief needs words at all.
EVERY TIME YOU LEAVE, YOU ARE BORN AGAIN
Mladen Bundalo, 2024, BE, 24'
The hypnotic, purring sound of a motor resonates, accompanied by the rumble from inside a bus. The director’s intimate voice leads us through an inner monologue. We are on our way to Prijedor, his Bosnian hometown, the site of his perpetual departures. Before arriving, we first have to understand departure as a space in which we can grow and be born again.
THE MEASURERS
Gustavo R. Cuneo, 2025, ES, 20'
In a small corner of Spain, Mari Carmen, a 75-year-old woman, and other "measurers" preserve ancient magical-religious traditions. Passed down through generations, these rituals are used to relieve heatstroke, soothe digestive ailments, or ward off the "evil eye".
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LV, EN
