Through the use of pop-culture references, these bold essay films explore serious topics in fun and playful ways. This compilation program includes The Film You Are About to See, Dreams About Putin, I Would Like to Rage and Makeover Movie.
The Film You Are About to See
The warning labels found on some new microwave ovens may have comedic value (where but in America would users be warned not to put their pet in the device?) but we rarely notice the disclaimers preceding films. In fact, they are even more absurd: one very common one is “This is a work of fiction.” But producers, distributors and cinema owners protect themselves from accusations of offense caused by all sorts of other potential issues, like people of the same sex kissing, special effects, drug use, violence, unsafe behavior, and even cinematic experimentation.
Maxime Martinot – 11′ – France – English
Dreams about Putin
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many Russians have started having dreams about their president and sharing them on social media. More than a thousand dreams about Putin have now been recorded and posted on public platforms.
In Dreams About Putin, a selection of these dreams have been brought to life using Unreal Engine, a 3D graphics program for creating scenes for computer games. In this exciting experiment with form, the animations are complemented by rare archival footage of the Russian president.
Nastia Korkia, Vlad Fishez – 30′ – Belgium, Hungary, Portugal – Russian
I Would Like to Rage
Compassion, sadness and love can be expressed quite effectively online—even when acted, they can seem quite authentic. The same cannot be said of anger. Onscreen, an expression of escalated displeasure and negative agitation almost always looks like a poorly acted play. This has to do with the frequent use of outbursts of anger online as a strategic means to build an image or intimidate others, especially by male social media users. Anger thus degenerates into a blunt platitude, captured in memes and GIFs.
Chloé Galibert-Laîné – 12′ – France – French, English
Makeover Movie
Many a teenage girl has grown up watching movies showing a tomboyish, nondescript or even unattractive protagonist undergo a makeover and turn into a head-turning beauty. It’s every girl’s dream. But why? And just what is Hollywood’s beauty ideal?
Sue Ding – 19′ – United States – English