Three DocNomads films selected to Sheffield, UK
Andrea Suwito’s Perfected Grammar and Ana Vîjdea’s Blue will have their World Premiere in the International Short Film competition, whereas Nastia Korkia’s graduation film Dreams About Putin will be presented in its UK premiere at the 31st SheffieldDoc Fest held from 12 to 17 of June.
By Andrea Suwito (Indonesia) • 11’ • 2024
Synopsis:
In Budapest, an elderly mother teaches her Hungarian-speaking daughter the difference between active and passive tenses in the mother's Indonesian mother tongue. What starts as a simple film about a familial language lesson encompasses the mother’s painful past, her journey to Hungary, her unintended life there, the effects of history on the individual, and the power of language to both reveal and connect.
In Sheffield catalogue.
By Ana Vîjdea (Romania) • 20’ • 2024
Synopsis:
A handwritten contract on a fridge sets the scene; payment for living in this house is obedience and both of Rodica’s two teenage children must choose whether to sign. Rodica is a Romanian expat living in Belgium who works hard to support her family. Her love for her children is at once powerful and suffocating. Shot in stark black and white, and with the camera staying within close proximity to its protagonists, the film’s minimalist approach offers a glimpse into the complex intimacies of this family. This is a film about love, fear, anxiety and the complicated emotions that emerge at their intersection.
In Sheffield catalogue.
By Nastia Korkia (Russia) • 30' • 2023
Synopsis:
Following the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, many people started to dream about the Russian president Vladimir Putin. People have recorded and shared over 1000 of these dreams on social media, creating a surreal archive of the troubled collective unconscious in times of war. In Dreams of Putin, these visions are brought to life using a combination of found footage and scenes created in Unreal Engine, a 3D graphics programme for designing computer games. Fascinating in both its experimental form and themes, this is a film that is destined to remain in the subconscious of all who see it.
In Sheffield catalogue.