Forward

A highly experimental bundle, these films use neorealism, experimentation with the 8/16mm film medium, editing, and breaking the fourth wall to push the boundaries of what narratives can include and how audiences experience them.

Co-presented with:

Runtime:

104

mins

where we are is always too far away.

Canada

2022

Documentary

mins

Language:

Arabic

An auto-portrait presenting linear and nonlinear spaces as a transient body. Shifting between movement and stillness, time speeds up, slows down, and gets lost in the landscapes of memory.

The Moped and the Goldfinch

Algeria

2023

Drama

mins

Language:

Algerian Arabic

Moufida decides to cross the country on a moped to see her lover in Algiers. Finding herself confronted with the author of her story, a discussion between the two begins generating some tension.

Sister Mother Lover Child

Canada

United States

2023

Documentary

mins

Language:

Turkman, Iraqi Turkish

It is spring yet all is coloured by a season of grief. A child dances, the grapevine ripens. We press our ears to the glass and hear singing from afar.

I've Known Rivers

Egypt

Tunisia

2023

Experimental

mins

Language:

Arabic

"South Ajdabya" founded by Esraa Elfeky from Egypt and Saif Fradj from Tunisia, is a 2021st made collective of filmmakers interested in the north African desert, its mythologies, and anthropology.

Frescos of a Ruined Memory

Lebanon

France

2023

Experimental

mins

Language:

Arabic, French

Kamal, traumatized from his nightmares, projects his fears on his boyfriend Jad. Their relationship becomes unstable until one of them realizes he can’t go on with it.

Fariha

United States

2022

Documentary

mins

Language:

Dari

A film showcasing the complex, joyful, humorous, emotional, and deeply intelligent side of Afghan people; qualities that are too often overlooked by the shadow of violence, war, and oppression.

Dear F...

Scotland

2023

Documentary

mins

Language:

English

Born in the early 90s, the filmmaker discovers a collection of letters from this turbulent time that sheds light on the challenges faced by Algerians.