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
The Painted Life of E.J. Hughes
A beautiful portrait of E.J. Hughes, who quietly helped reshape the artistic landscape of British Columbia in the 20th century. This extraordinary documentary explores Hughes’s legacy not only as an artist, but as a devoted, humble human being.
Agatha's Almanac
Shot over six years on vibrant 16mm film, Agatha’s Almanac is an artful documentary portrait of filmmaker Amalie Atkin’s octogenarian aunt, who has fashioned herself an endearingly simple and self-sustaining lifestyle on her Manitoba farm.
The Art of Adventure
The unbelievable adventure story of how painter Robert Bateman and ecologist Bristol Foster drove a Land Rover from Africa to Australia in 1957, developing a love of nature to last a lifetime. An inspirational love letter to the adventure of life itself.
Intimate Moments: Short Films by Brendan Prost
Vignettes of loneliness, desire and fleeting connection, immerse yourself in the short, bittersweet films of Brendan Prost — who will also be filming proceedings for potential inclusion in his self-reflexive doc, The Performance of a Lifetime.
Winter Kept Us Warm
Often described as the first LGBTQ+ film ever to screen at the Cannes Film Festival, David Secter's lovingly observed portrait of a burgeoning queer romance came at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in the country
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.
