Shortscapes

They may be shorter in length, but the stories, emotions, innovations come in full. Celebrating short documentaries as a crafted form in its own right, this selection presents an assortment of stories and places, capturing in eight short films the complexities of human relations and the manifold appearance of city and rural landscapes.

Civilians portrays the ‘normal’, everyday life of New York rather than the well-publicized spectacular aspects of the city through static shots, democratically allowing each scene to unfold for almost the same amount of time. Permutations ironically draws attention to its own fabrication, reminding us that film should first transparently analyze its own means before attempting to examine the ‘real’ world. Ocean Hill Drive incorporates in its style elements of the movie genre most frequently recurred to for describing the feelings of fear that the inhabitants of the filmed place claim to have. I made you, I kill you transports us to the director’s childhood and his home, which rather than being a place of refuge and comfort is instead one of fear and suffering. This is an illustration of the widespread belief especially in the rural world of child punishment as a form of education. In Before I go to sleep, I say “Good night Andreea!” the family reunion is a period that leaves more questions unanswered. For the protagonists in Vasile and Ionaș dreams of rain, traditions, beliefs and respecting the rural community are essential aspects of life and Esmeralda portrays an older man with an interest in history, that displays a young man’s curiosity for discovery.

Curatorial text and films presentations by Raluca Iacob