The Bubble
By Valerie Blankenbyl (in presence)
2021, 92 min

The Villages in Florida is now the fastest growing ‘town’ in the country; 155,000 inhabitants, 54 golf courses, 70 swimming pools, soon to be four times the size of Manhattan, all impeccably maintained. All the inhabitants have left the icy North to spend happy years in this paradise where everything is leisure, carefree and, above all, where age is no longer an issue. Isolated from the rest of the world, the population sustains the golden age of a proud and conquering America, Republican and white, consumerist and unapologetic uncomplicated. The advent of a model of governance, here based on a family business that has successfully sold a lifestyle, all of it fed by an internal press organisation. Valerie Blankenbyl and her team scratch away at the veneer of this utopia where shooting permits are rarely granted, and where the ‘management’ seems to want to muzzle any of the bubble’s opponents. For, on the outside, the anger of the local population is growing. The annexation of new lands and the occupants’ energy-consuming way of life are constantly jeopardising a fragile ecosystem.

The Mushroom Speaks
By Marion Neumann
2021, 90 min

What we commonly call ‘mushrooms’ are the temporary and visible fruits of much more complex beings. Under each mushroom, there hides a network that is invisible to the naked eye and which evolves beneath our feet. The Mushroom Speaks ventures into this underground world to listen to what these organisms have to tell us. Accompanied by mushroom enthusiasts and specialists from all over the world, the film weaves a portrait of fungi and the network they maintain with the planet. Their role is crucial to the latter’s preservation and they are defined as ‘the true immune system for the planet and, by extension, of ourselves’. Marion Neumann unveils this fascinating ecosystem with sensitivity. She invites us to take part in an initiatory journey to discover the fungal realm, its healing and regenerating properties. In a context of rapid environmental change, The Mushroom Speaks provides a necessary societal and ecological reflection that questions our deep relationship with nature.

Flee
By Jonas Poher Rasmussen
 2021, 90 min

For over 20 years, Amin has been hiding a secret that threatens to ruin the life he has built for himself since arriving in Copenhagen. Haunted by the traumas of his past—that he reveals implicitly—he decides to share his story for the first time, with the director, a close friend, who encourages him to come clean. The story then reveals Amin’s harrowing voyage, from his childhood in post-communist Afghanistan to his present as a respected academician in Denmark, about to marry his partner. Created mainly with remarkable images of animation so as to maintain the anonymity of its protagonists, the film takes us on the trying journey of a refugee to find asylum abroad, and invites us into his relationship with homosexuality. Told in the first person, Flee conveys a feeling of closeness and the sensation of genuinely accessing the captivating memories of the main character. It succeeds in subtly interweaving genres, while retaining a healthy touch of humour. A poignant intimate tale, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

Bella e perduta
By Pietro Marcello (in presence)
2015, 87 min

A shepherd, a Pulcinella and a buffalo calf. This could be commedia dell’arte, if the fable were not tragic. At the beginning, a shepherd who fights for the survival of an old palace that serves as storage for the mafia. In the end, a poetic flight that puts human and animal, myth and politics, on an equal footing, to advocate the revolt of the down-to-earth.

The event may be photographed and/or video recorded for archival, educational, and related promotional purposes. By attending this event, you are giving your consent to be photographed and/or video recorded.