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10:00 AM

The image is a monochrome photograph of a child's hands interacting with magnets. The hands are small with youthful features, suggesting the person's young age. The magnets on the fingertips have attracted iron filings, which have clustered around the poles of the magnets, creating a visual display of the magnetic field lines. The activity seems to be an exploratory or educational play with the principles of magnetism.

Iron Butterflies

On July 17, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down by Russian forces over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. The attack was immediately questioned and obscured by the Russian government and media. As evidence piled up, the reality only became more shocking and incredible.

A person stands on a rocky outcrop overlooking a breathtaking fjord. The turquoise water of the fjord contrasts sharply with the lush green slopes and the rugged, mist-covered mountain peaks that rise steeply on either side. Clouds partially shroud the mountains, adding a mystical quality to the landscape. The person appears small against the vastness of the natural surroundings, emphasizing the grandeur and scale of the scenery. The overall atmosphere is one of tranquility and awe-inspiring natural beauty.

Songs of Earth

Songs of Earth is a majestic symphony for the big screen. The filmmaker’s father is our guide. Bringing us through Norway’s most scenic valley, he shows us where generations have been living alongside nature to in order to survive. The sounds of earth harmonize together to make music in this breathtaking journey.

An aerial image that captures a striking natural contrast between a turquoise blue body of water and a greyish, textured landscape possibly of sand or silt. In the water, a small figure in a kayak, provides a sense of scale, emphasizing the vastness of the surroundings. The water's vibrant hue suggests it may be rich in minerals or glacially fed, while the sinuous patterns in the grey area indicate the movement of water over time. The scene is serene and appears remote.

Losing Blue

What does it mean to lose a colour? Losing Blue is a cinematic poem about what it means to lose the otherworldly blues of ancient mountain lakes, now fading due to climate change. This short documentary gently asks what it might mean to forget that the ethereal blues of these lakes ever existed.

Close-up of the left side of a person's face, focusing on a clear blue eye. The image captures detailed textures such as skin and eyelashes, with the rest of the face softly out of focus. The background is indistinct, providing a neutral setting that highlights the eye.

Clean

One woman’s love letter and final goodbye to heroin, as she attempts to come off the synthetic opiates that have kept her clean for the past six years. This short documentary attempts to reframe some of the stigmas of addiction, and poses the following question: what does it mean to be ‘clean’?

A jellyfish is floating in the water, its dome-shaped bell and trailing tentacles visible. The water around it is speckled with numerous small particles, suggesting plankton or organic debris. The jellyfish is a reddish-brown color, providing a contrast against the deep blue of the ocean. The scene captures the serene, yet alien beauty of marine life in its natural habitat.

Deep Rising

This exquisite fly-on-the-wall environmental doc is a gripping and up-to-the-minute tale of geopolitical, scientific, and corporate intrigue. It exposes the destructive machinations of an organization empowered to extract massive amounts of metals from the deep seafloor.

A close-up of a woman's back in a sauna, with water droplets cascading down their skin in a spray of light against a dark background. Sunlight filters through a window, highlighting the water's motion and creating a contrast with the shadows in the room. The focus on the water droplets gives the scene a dynamic and intimate quality.

Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

In the darkness of smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences. Through a sense of communion, women wash off the shame trapped in their bodies and regain their strength.

A black and white photograph of two individuals at a dining table, one of whom is in focus. The person in focus is seated and looking contemplatively to the side, not directly engaging with the other person, who appears to be gesturing with their hand to their head. Above the table hangs a pendant lamp, casting a soft light on the scene. The table has a few items on it, including a clear pitcher, a martini glass, and some drinking glasses, suggesting a social or dining setting. The mood is reflective, with attention drawn to the expressions and body language that suggest a serious or intimate conversation.

Halves & Doubles

Despite the close bond between Adam and her sibling Khadija, there is trauma unspoken between them. In this short documentary, the two hold a conversation where they attempt to find mutual understanding through the winding road of expressing emotions.

An individual with a beard and a receding hairline is sitting on a yellow couch, wearing a denim jacket over a yellow shirt. They are raising their right hand with an open palm towards the camera in a greeting or waving gesture. The person is smiling and looking directly at the camera. In the background, there's a bookshelf filled with books and a painting of a forest scene, suggesting a cozy, lived-in space. The lighting is bright and even, indicative of an indoor setting.

Dear Ani

For twenty-five years Keith Wasserman has made and delivered elaborate art mail packages – all in the hopes of befriending his muse. Dear Ani explores what can happen when you present your truest self, and risk total failure. It is an intimate account of psychotic mania, personal mastery, and creative triumph.

A close-up image of a goose with its beak open, revealing the unique structure of its mouth and tongue. The serrated edges inside the beak are visible. The goose's black head with white markings is distinctive, and the texture of its feathers can be seen in detail. The background is blurred.

Modern Goose

Able to navigate by reading the Earth’s magnetic field, at home on land, air and water, geese straddle the territory between ancient instincts and the contemporary world. Combining beauty, humour and profound empathy, director Karsten Wall’s exquisitely observed film essay follows the daily life of these iconic animals to reveal a deeper message of continuity and connection.

A lone white plastic chair sits on a small, narrow balcony with green railings. The balcony is part of a building with a facade of large, beige stone tiles. The viewpoint is from an adjacent building, capturing the scene at a slight angle, which gives a voyeuristic glimpse into this quiet urban space.

A Short Film About a Chair

A lonely chair on an abandoned balcony, a photographer watching it days and nights, a strange thing happens that will change the life of the chair for ever.

A person stands on a balcony with their arms crossed, surrounded by graffiti-covered walls. Behind them, a cityscape with various buildings in different states of construction and maintenance is visible. The contrast between the neglected foreground and the bustling city background highlights a narrative of urban resilience and perhaps social issues. The sunlight casts shadows, adding to the gritty ambiance of the setting.

The Cities I Live In

Newly settled in Belfast, a filmmaker tells his infant twins about his life journey. They see him leaving one violent place for another, longing for places that he will never see again, and hoping they will not carry his curse.

A hand with the palm facing forward and fingers slightly apart, set against a backdrop of a rock surface with natural lines and crevices. The lighting is soft and dim, suggesting either early morning or late afternoon, with warm tones that give the skin a reddish hue, contrasting with the cooler tones of the rock. The focus is on the hand, which is centered in the frame, while the rock surface in the background is slightly blurred. The composition is simple and evocative.

There’s Not Much We Can Do

In this personal essay documentary, the director reflects on getting diagnosed with endometriosis through observing the invasive Japanese Knotweed. While the plant is treated with urgency, the disease is met with inaction, prompting us to question the very things we consider “natural” in the first place.

Four individuals are seated around a dining table in a dimly lit room that suggests a vintage or historical setting. The warm glow from the windows, adorned with patterned stained glass, provides natural light. The room is decorated with patterned wallpaper, and there are traditional furnishings and decorations, including a cabinet and a clock on the wall, which contribute to the room's old-fashioned ambiance. The scene has a calm and intimate feel, with the focus on the people at the table, possibly engaged in conversation over a meal.

Demon Box

After festival rejections, a director revises his intensely personal short film about trauma, suicide, and the Holocaust. He transforms the film into a painful, blunt and funny dissection of itself, and of his own life. Ten years in the making.

Guests in attendance, Q&A with Sean Wainsteim

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ReFrame Film Festival