Geneva Black Movie Festival shows 105 films for new perspectives
Published: Tuesday, Jan 9th 2024, 18:00
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The international festival for independent films Black Movie Festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary. The anniversary of the Geneva film festival takes place from January 19 to 28 and features films from 44 countries.
The program includes 50 feature-length films and 55 short films. As the organizers wrote in a press release on Tuesday, 19 filmmakers will be present, including Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Liang ("Rizi"). The festival will show several of the director's films, such as "Stray Dogs" and "Days".
An exhibition dedicated to the Walker series will also be shown as part of the festival. This includes short films by Ming-Liang. One of these films, for example, shows a monk walking slowly through a crowd of people. The five films in the series are accompanied by an installation.
This year, the organizers have placed a special focus on the issue of resistance and resilience. One example of this is the film "Critical Zone" by Iranian director Ali Ahmadzadeh, which was awarded the Golden Leopard at the 2023 Locarno Festival. Ahmadzadeh's film deals with censorship.
Perspectives from around the world
In "Jeunesse", Chinese director Wang Bing shows how the young generation in China is working hard for its independence. Argentinian Lisandro Alonso created a metaphysical western in "Eureka", in which actor Viggo Mortensen plays a small role.
Film archives and the preservation of film heritage are another focus of the festival. The topic is addressed by Thierno Souleymane Diallo from Guinea in his film "Au Cimetière de la pellicule" and by the Iranian Ehsan Khoshbakt in "Celluloid Underground".
The Black Movie Festival was founded in 1991. Originally, the organizers wanted to show films from African countries in order to show other perspectives and realities. Since then, films from Africa, Asia and Latin America have been shown.
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