The Themes of FEST ’24
RITUALS & HEALING
Rituals are deeply rooted in humankind and help us ward off everyday dangers and cope with uncertain times. Their practice can be celebratory and a source of healing. Like in documentary Kite Zo A – Leave the Bones by Kaveh Nabatian, about the Vodou rituals that birthed Haiti, or A Drifting Up by Jacob Lee about his daily practice of dancing with pedestrians (programme Short Docs: Returning to Play).
RESISTANCE, RESILIENCE & FREEDOM
Artists have always resisted the suppression of freedom by telling stories of struggle and thriving, and revealing the resilience of the body and the human spirit. Dancing is a poetic act of defiance in the Iranian film And me, I’m dancing too by Mohammad Vaizadegan (programme IC: Unyielding Fires), and Ampe: Leap into the Sky, Black Girl by Claudia Owusu & Ife Oluwamuyide, demonstrates the desire of young girls to be unconditionally free (programme Short Docs: Returning to Play).
GRIEF & RECONCILING THE PAST
We are in a time in which the world is struggling with grief and trying to find ways to reconcile with the past. Filmmakers and choreographers use dance film to confront personal and world history, channel emotions and articulate new futures. Highlights include, La Ultima Ascensión by Kevin Osepa, who re-approaches post-colonialism and re-imagines the Afro-Caribbean identity (programme New Dutch: Wondering Worlds) and Through Magma by Elisabeth Raymond, about the plastic in the ocean and our liquid borders (programme IC: Poetic Moves).
