For many nights, The Censor and his team have been moderating a woman’s dreams to keep them in safe territory. Tonight, nothing happens as planned. Starting with a wonderfully novel opening shot, this is a surreal, conceptual work that offers an original backstory to a person working through inner torments. The film is endlessly inventive, like a Charlie Kaufman-esque fever dream where moments of absurdity and drama collide. Astonishingly ambitious, Censor of Dreams is a magnificent display of creativity and what cinema is truly capable of when entrusted to the right hands.
Community Partner
Damien Bonnard, Yoko Higashi, Sylvain Katan, Alexis Rodney
France
2021
In French and English with English subtitles
Featured in:
International Shorts: Having a Bad Day
Misadventures, bad choices, and a series of unfortunate events are all present in this program of short films. There is some serious drama and a bit of comedy on display in these exhilarating, thoughtful, and unpredictable tales.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
American Doctor
One of the most powerful documentaries of the year, this puts us smack in the open wound that is Gaza, filtered through the eyes of three American surgeons (of Palestinian, Jewish and Zoroastrian backgrounds) compelled to do their utmost to alleviate harm.
The Last Picture Shows
Rustin Thompson journeys into the American West on a search for traces of what was once a center of small-town life: the movie theater. Despite the struggles of recent times, he also discovers inspiring stories of hope and community.
All the Lovers in the Night
A lonely proofreader's isolated world begins to open through an unlikely friendship with a gentle physics teacher. Based on Mieko Kawakami's acclaimed novel, this luminous drama is a delicate meditation on loneliness, intimacy, and self-discovery.
Clarissa
Arie and Chuko Esiri’s Clarissa brings Mrs. Dalloway to present-day Lagos, with Sophie Okonedo playing the titular society hostess opposite David Oyelowo, Ayo Edebiri, and India Amarteifio in a Nigerian vision of class, privilege, and past lives.
Image: © Courtesy of Elevation Pictures
Credits
Executive Producer
Camille Lambert, Albert Zurashvili
Producer
Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Mourad Belkeddar, Jean Duhamel, Nicolas Lhermitte
Screenwriter
Léo Berne, Raphaël Rodriguez
Cinematography
Khalib Mohtaseb
Editor
Laure Saint-Marc
Production Design
Marco Puig
Directors
Léo Berne
Léo Berne was born and raised in Aix-en-Provence, France. In 2009, he co-founded the award-winning collective Megaforce, and they have directed campaigns and music videos for Rihanna, Madonna, Tame Impala, Kid Cudi, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, among others. They wrote and directed Burberry’s Festive campaign and the Lacoste film Crocodile inside, which garnered Gold and the Grand Prix respectively at the Cannes Lions in 2021. As a photographer, he has shot fashion editorials for Jalouse, L’Officiel, and Madame Figaro Japan. He released his second photobook, Je t’aime je t’aime, in November 2021.
Raphaël Rodriguez
After studying graphic design in Paris, Raphaël Rodriguez worked on various artistic editorials, musical and videos projects for popular indie French labels and bands, including Because Music and Scratch Massive. In 2009, he co-founded the award-winning collective Megaforce, and they have directed campaigns and music videos for Rihanna, Madonna, Tame Impala, Kid Cudi, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, among others. They wrote and directed Burberry’s Festive campaign and the Lacoste film Crocodile inside, which garnered Gold and the Grand Prix respectively at the Cannes Lions in 2021.
