Five DocNomads films premiere in Ji.hlava, Czechia
The Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival selected films of DN students for its 27th edition held from 24 to 29 October.
Santwana Bayaskar’s doc short Kata's Motherhood and Violena Ampudia’s graduation film BLUE will be in competition in the sections Short Joy / Fascinations, María Casas Castillo´s graduation film Dust is a whale, is sunlight, Inshallah Montero’s doc short Reversible, and Anna Gyimesi’s graduation film Falling will be presented in the section First Lights.
By Santwana Bayaskar (India) • 22’ • 2022
Synopsis:
Can someone become a mother without giving birth to a child? Twenty-nine-year-old filmmaker Santwana, who is not yet ready to become a mother, and forty-five-year-old doula Kata, who, though childless herself, helps many couples bring their children into the world, are searching for the answer to this question together. This highly intimate documentary empathetically introduces us to the most beautiful and vulnerable moments of life surrounding childbirth.
“You know Khalil Gibran? Do you remember what he says about children? Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.” — Kata.
In Ji.lava catalogue
Trailer here.
By Violena Ampudia (Cuba) • 16’ • 2023
Synopsis:
Abstract blue paintings, blue-dyed lace and footage from her personal archive are interspersed with fragments of conversations, dream prints and personal memories of those who have experienced postpartum depression. The film was created together with the director by participants of her workshop on the cyanotype technique.
“Due to her last master's degree (DocNomads), she has made her latest films in Portugal, Hungary, Spain, Belgium and Serbia, surrounded by fellow filmmakers from diverse cultures from almost all over the world. Therefore, her film approach is deeply permeated by an openness to understand and incorporate other cultures and diversities.”
In Ji.lava catalogue
Trailer here.
By María Casas Castillo (Mexico) • 20’ • 2023
Synopsis:
Mark Bosselaers is a marine paleontologist for whom the skeletal fragments of whales are nearly his whole life. In this minimalist portrait, we learn about his sometimes almost detective-like work and his distinctive theories. Everything is connected in Mark's vision – the sunlight, the whales and the dust we eventually turn into.
“Ideally, I would love to spend all day working on whale fossils, but of course I also have to do the occasional chores around the house for my wife.” — Mark Bosselaers.
In Ji.lava catalogue
Trailer here.
By Inshallah Montero (Philippines) • 13’ • 2022
A Frankenstein-esque portrait of a scientist who develops materials for the construction of robots with sensitive and flexible parts while losing control of her own consciousness. As a result of stress overload, she is unable, at least temporarily, to do what her products can already do – rely on her memory.
“I started directing films when I was in my 2nd year of college. I came into it spontaneously and I’ve learned to love the art so much that sometimes I even direct my dreams.” — Inshallah Montero.
In Ji.lava catalogue
Trailer here.
By Anna Gyimesi (Hungary) • 16’ • 2022
Synopsis:
Els' daughter doesn't want to live anymore. The formerly cheerful child became suicidal at the age of 13, to such an extent that she has to spend most of her time under medical supervision. She sees euthanasia as the only solution to her desperate condition. She not only wants to abandon her life, but unfortunately also her mother, who can only stand by and watch.
“The themes of motherhood, the motifs of the mother-child relationship, are inspired by the relationship with my own mother and my own possible relationship with motherhood.”
In Ji.lava catalogue
Trailer here.