Synopsis

Global peace is at risk. The borders of Western democracies and Communist Russia hang in the balance. Can diplomacy effectively conclude the Cold War? In this witty, clever, and insightful film about geopolitical gamesmanship, Finnish filmmaker Arthur Franck looks back at the 1973 Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), a seemingly banal meeting of international leaders in his native Helsinki that would have far-reaching consequences for the future of our current global politics.

Using hundreds of hours of archival footage and amusingly off-kilter TV broadcasts, declassified documents, and some help from cheeky AI-generated voices, Franck brings to life the conference and the central figures of this high-stakes chess match, from a cynical Henry Kissinger to a boisterous Leonid Brezhnev. Following up on the promise of his 2019 Festival selection The Hypnotist, Franck returns with an equally droll historical docudrama uncovering truths, both humorous and heady, about the surprising results that can come from world leaders talking to each other.

Synopsis

Returning to the house where his family was brutally murdered during the war, “the man who refuses to die” (Jorma Tommila) dismantles it, loads it on a truck, and is determined to rebuild it somewhere safe in their honor. When the Red Army commander who killed his family (Stephen Lang) comes back hellbent on finishing the job, a relentless, eye-popping cross-country chase ensues—a fight to the death, full of clever, unbelievable action set pieces.

Synopsis

Some worlds can only truly be conjured outside of physical reality. These eight thrilling shorts unfold in an inventive array of visual and narrative styles that come together to form a vibrant snapshot of contemporary animation. May not be suitable for all ages.

Paradaïz, an abstracted depiction of returning to Sarajevo, hums with absurdist humor and a real longing for home. This is not your Garden uses 3D scan data to capture a ghostly portrait of Bogota’s highland cloud forests, which are currently threatened by climate change and human development. One man’s plans for the future are laid out in Retirement Plan. Every resident chases their own version of happiness in the colorful apartment building at the center of Dollhouse Elephant. In the quiet sepia-toned countryside of Dog Alone, a young woman, her grandfather, and a nearby dog all confront loneliness. In dipolar bipolar, the internal life of a person managing bipolar disorder appears as pulsing, maximalist visions. As eight-year-old Agata boards a full bus from Poland to Belgium by herself in Autokar; she notices that those around her seem different. The present moment sits perfectly still in Ordinary Life.

Synopsis

In this swirling flight through a busy apartment building, each resident navigates the unintended consequences of their neighbors’ attempts to find equilibrium. Animating with acrylic paint on paper, Jenny Jokela creates eccentric characters and their vibrant homes in a delightful exploration of the self within a community.

This film screens as part of Shorts Program 2: Animation.