The Memory Booth

A Wreath of Sonnets

A story of two boys who obstinately, in spite of everything and everyone run to the front when the war was almost over.

The Contest

About the legendary musical competition between the famous Turkmen dutar player Shukur Bakhshy and Persian court musician Ghulam Bakhshy.

How to hold a cloud to the ground

When she arrives in a new world, Isabela is tasked with discovering her true essence. Watched by Shadow, the guardian of this ghostly place, Isabela meets other travelers and reevaluates her memories, relationships and emotions.

Living Whip

A film about the dramatic lives of the people living in the village of Ráztoka during WW I. Women are left without husbands, families fall apart, finding themselves on the verge of poverty. Eva, the main heroine, is going through difficulties after her husband was drafted to the army. Her defilement and her tragic death cause a rebellion by which the village inhabitants finally stand up against their unbearable situation.

Teenage Fever

The Little Soldier

A budding romance between two toy dancers is put into dangers when the boy is conscripted into the toy army.

The East Wind

Set in the mid-1950s when Tangier was still an international zone, El Chergui presents the city on the eve of its independence, as Aïcha resorts to magical practices to try to prevent her husband from taking a second wife. Around her, a society of women creates its own form of active resistance even as the larger independence movement grows around it. Through his unique use of montage, Smihi creates arresting images that present a society torn by the contradictions of colonialism, religion, patriarchy, and resistance. (Block Cinema)

Denomination: Sorrow

A short poem from the perspective of a non-believer, that questions the realism of religious creation, using basic emotions as a motif.

Visions

In split screen we see both a utopian and a dystopian day in the life of a girl called Sam.

It Was Like A Dream I Remember from an Easier Time

A visual essay revealing social inequality as the silent sickness of COVID-19 lockdown America. To highlight the disconnect between the fantasy of Los Angeles and the lived reality for many of its citizens, a computerized voice gives a dispassionate monologue over imagery that explores the truth of a city after the tourists, luxury stores and entertainment are removed from the streets. Through silent vignettes, the film leaves us with images of homelessness, and comments on the shallowness of capitalism and the hypocrisy of multiculturalism.

Floating in the River of Time

A meditative observation of the poetry present in the world of Pedrito, an elderly man of the mountains and relic of a time that no longer exists, while he comes to an understanding of his physical mortality and becomes aware of his spiritual immortality.

Spellbound

Wingsuit BASE jumping is often presented as a thrill seeking adrenaline rush. Spellbound takes us deeper into the more contemplative aspects of jumping, as David Walden and friends venture into the mountains around his home in New Zealand. Beautiful scenery and hypnotic cinematography eject us from our daily lives into a world of air, earth and flight.

How I See Sunsets

A poetic, semi-autobiographical short film of the sun setting over a village, shot from behind the curtains of a small, dimly lit room.

Denomination: Dread

The first human being follows a psychedelic path down to understand fundamental awe, the fear of god and the unspoken pain, that holds him captive.

The Whisper of the Leaves

A poetic and contemplative journey of harmony between different forms of life that coexist on the earth. This film is a meditation on the effect of time, movement of the human spirit, and passage to new forms of life, through the eyes, ears, and bodies of three elderly land workers living in a small community in the outskirts of Bauta, Cuba.

Pick up the Wind

A short film following Anthony, a young child from the small, rural town of San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. We see him in different moments of his daily life as he interacts with different forms of environmental, familial, and social influences. While Anthony displays contradictory traits of creativity, destruction, rigidity, and tenderness as he interacts with his external and internal worlds, we see a story built from the the multidimensionality of Anthony's layered personality as a young man.

Coalesce

In 2020, the World was closed. Life got cancelled. People were struggling. Here’s an emotional and entertaining true story shot live, during the pandemic, about courageous people who came together, despite the risk, to share their love with one another. The film opens in Times Square on NYE 2020. Everything seemed right with the World. Fast-forward six months into the pandemic, hundreds of artists from all different performance art genres are invited to come together over the course of several consecutive days, culminating in a group costume parade event on 10/10/2020 to witness the only live performances happening ANYWHERE. The goal was to lift each other's spirits during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. There were over a dozen genres represented including acrobatics, live music, magic, dance, and even a wedding. Dozens of unscripted live interviews were recorded and the event proved a huge success. The film captures the rawness of what it was like living during this unprecedented time.

NEGRA

Transitional Seasons

A young couple gets ready for a ceremony. Emilia is not dressed yet and Pietro is struggling with his tie and also very annoyed about a speech he has to give. While they talk around their house, time travels back and forth revealing different phases of their life.

Lacuna

The portrait of two young women – a loving team that complements each other with all their habits and rituals like two puzzle pieces. This is a declaration of love of a couple – a snapshot of their present and a speculation about our future, because what could happen if a piece of the puzzle is suddenly taken away?