Questioning the nature of our material world, artists from South Africa, Spain, Iran and Brazil invite conditional realities to ponder memory, history and the length of existence. Witness and wonder, prepare to confront the possible meaning of it all.
This short film program includes the following films:
A Bird Called Memory
Leonardo Martinelli, Brazil/United Kingdom (15 min)
Returning to MODES with his latest lyrical offering, Leonardo Martinelli (Fantasma Neon, VIFF ’21) explores the existential longing and interior world of Lua, a trans woman on a wistful search for a missing bird amidst the streets of Rio de Janeiro.
Mast-del
Maryam Tafakory, Iran/United Kingdom (18 min)
An intimate mid-night moment between two Iranian women, Mast-del explores threat posed to forbidden bodies and desires.
Loving In Between
Jyoti Mistry, South Africa/Austria (19 min)
Repurposed archival footage from the Eye Film Museum, and animation encapsulate a portrait of social norms, religious persuasions, and political interventions that dictate and punctuate how and who we love. Yet, emancipation is found in the erotic.
Aqueronte
Manuel Muñoz Rivas, Spain (27 min)
Passengers settle in for a reflective and contemplative voyage aboard a ferry from one port to another. Destination unknown. The journey seems to expand, as the impending and distant shore is postponed. Observations are sharp, yet the magnitude of space becomes blurred.
Series Media Partner
Community Partner
Various
Various
2023
MODES
Various with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
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The Baltimorons
An early Xmas present and the rom-com of the year: a dental emergency on Christmas Eve brings together flailing comedian Chris and cynical divorcee Didi for a series of low-key urban misadventures.
You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine
A remarkable line up of artists come together to share their love for the great American singer-songwriter John Prine, including Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Bonnie Raitt, Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, Kurt Vile and Kasey Musgraves.
The Secret Agent
Having run afoul of an influential bureaucrat in Brazil’s military dictatorship circa 1977, Marcelo decamps to Recife to live under an assumed name — but he’ll soon come to understand precisely how rampant the country’s corruption has become.
Cutting Through Rocks
Winner of Sundance's World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize, Cutting Through Rocks follows Sara Shahverdi — motorcyclist, midwife, and first-ever councilwoman elected in her Iranian village. A vérité triumph by Sara Khaki & Mohammadreza Eyni.

