Block 2. Transformations

"Wouldn't Make It Any Other Way", dir. Hao Zhou, USA 2024, 20 min.

Having built a colorful life in Iowa, a costume designer returns to their island hometown, Guam, to make costumes for a children's theater show and reconnect with distanced parents.

"Freshman", dir. Michał Edelman, Tomasz Pawlik, Poland 2024, 25 min.

"Freshman" is a two-year observation of fifteen-year-old Jędrek. Cut off from his family and loved ones, the boy gets locked up in a juvenile prison. Now he has to adapt to a new, harsh environment. At first, he is scared and lonely, but later, he meets a friend –Wojtek. The juvy slowly becomes their new home.

"Espi", dir. Ivan Grgur, Croatia 2023, 6 min.

Gender transition is no different than any other human change. It has its ups and downs, scary, funny, strange, surprising, and frustrating little moments that are rarely talked about. This short film visually explores these moments through the eyes of Espi – a 24-year-old protagonist who just went through the transition.

"The Takeover", dir. Anders Hammer, Afghanistan 2023, 33 min.

Filmed over a year as the Taliban retakes control of Afghanistan, “The Takeover” documents the country’s rapid transformation and the women who refuse to lose their rights. Starting as the US leaves Afghanistan, this film shows the women's experience, protests, and daily life in the cities and countryside. We see how restrictions on women’s basic freedoms are enforced by the Taliban. Academy Award-nominated director Anders Hammer returns to his former home of Afghanistan to capture the development. “The Takeover” is the second part of Hammer’s trilogy on modern conflict.

"A Storm Inside", dir. Clément Pérot, France, 2023, 24 min.

An afternoon at the end of summer in a Calais suburb, in the northernmost part of France. Children and teenagers kill time at the foot of towerblocks. Their faces are often silent, already sometimes drawn or worried. Around them, large areas of sky and wild grass.