Synopsis

Recently widowed at 75, Germain is struggling with solitude and overwhelmed by his anxious, overbearing children’s constant worry. Craving escape and determined to honor a long-kept promise to his late wife, he secretly takes her place in a contemporary dance troupe. Last Dance is a deeply-felt, tenderhearted portrait of enduring love.

Synopsis

Showcasing a diverse mix of animation techniques, the films in this program focus on moments of transition where characters, both relatable and fantastic, make discoveries, face irreversible choices, and navigate outbursts. Featuring work by Loïc Espuche, Michèle Lemieux, Nina Gantz, Delia Hess, Bianca Lambert, Zohar Dvir, Olivia Griselda, Sarah Cheok, and Catapreta.

Leo tries to hide his big secret while still making the most of his summer in the world of Yuck! (Beurk!) (France), where wanting to kiss makes your lips glow. The painstaking pinscreen animation process is used to create a darkly poetic piece about the tragic life of Queen Mariana of Austria as captured by Baroque painter Diego Velázquez in The Painting  (Le tableau) (Canada). In the absurdist stop-motion piece Wander to Wonder (The Netherlands, Belgium, France, United Kingdom), unusual collaborators suffer through the loss of their TV show’s host. The frustration of being trapped in a hotline’s hold system starts to bleed into the physical world in On Hold (Switzerland). After taking more than the recommended dose of cannabis to assuage her fibroid pain, Amanda wades through the voices in her head in Super High: A Period Piece (United States). Carol’s fear of committing to her girlfriend aligns with the onset of unexpected world-changing circumstances in Butterfly Kiss (Germany, Israel). Dona Beatriz Ñsîmba Vita (Brazil) is a surreal and striking portrayal of the political life of African heroine Kimpa Vita, an overshadowed but significant historical figure who initiated the movement to save the Republic of Congo — as well as other parts of central Africa — from Portuguese colonial rule. And when a mail carrier makes a mistake, an unassuming woman enters a vibrant world of otherworldly pleasure in She and Her Good Vibrations (Singapore)

Synopsis

Hand drawn in charcoal, this short depicts a young woman stranded on a hotline call. Her surroundings begin to morph and change, exhibiting a surrealist resonance with her feelings of limbo.

This film screens as part of the Animated Shorts: Major Developments program.

Synopsis

Rebecca, the daughter of missionary Lawrence Byrne, was declared a “miracle” after she survived a plane crash deep in the Amazon forest as a child. Years later, Rebecca has become a healer, sustaining her family’s evangelical mission thanks to her growing fame. But when illegal loggers invade the land, Rebecca wrestles with her role in the community. As Lawrence maneuvers them into the epicenter of the escalating conflict, she begins to question her allegiance to her father, to their mission, and to her faith.

Director Pia Marais (The Unpolished, ChicagoIFF 2007) raises — and collides — religious, political, and environmental stakes to create a searing and timely eco-thriller. As the layers of the knotty plot unfold, exposing shifting alliances and increasingly blurry moral lines, Transamaonzia builds to a chilling, inexorable climax.

Synopsis

Karen and Markus live with their children in the idyllic countryside home of Karen’s youth. Markus’s birthday is approaching, offering the perfect occasion for a family get-together. As guests begin to arrive — everyone from their reclusive neighbor to their collegiate daughter to Karen’s impetuous sister — so do simmering resentments, snide gossip, and verbal slights. Still grieving the death of her overbearing mother, Karen’s mounting stress hurtles the family toward a fiery confrontation.

Masterfully crafted and expertly observed, The Sparrow in the Chimney explores the explosive, aggressive potential of everyday human interaction. The cramped country house becomes a character in itself, its ghosts seeming to haunt its inhabitants as they flit in and out of ingeniously cluttered frames, begging the question: Are we ever able to truly leave the past behind us?