Skip to main content
We Were No Desert film image; man with arm resting on his head

We Were No Desert

Nunca fuimos un desierto

MODES

North American Premiere

Taking an installation by Argentine textilsts Chiachio & Giannone as a point of departure, director Agustina Comedi (Playback, MODES ‘19) stages a queered rendition of a strict national folk dance, the “Pericón.” This new choreography opposes its traditional steps and resists the inherent ideology of conquest baked into the notion of ‘homeland’.

 

Community Partner

Directors
Credits
Country of Origin

Argentina

Year

2024

Language

In Spanish with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
12 min
Experimental & Avant Garde Human Rights & Social Justice LGBTQIA2S+ Shorts Women Directors
PAN Contenidos

Credits & Director

Producer

Sandra Rojas

Screenwriter

Agustina Comedi

Cinematography

Benjamín Ellenberger

Editor

Ezequiel Salinas

Original Music

Violeta García

Agustina Comedi headshot; We Were No Desert director

Agustina Comedi

Agustina Comedi (1986, Argentina). Scriptwriter and filmmaker. She holds a degree in Literature. In 2017, her debut film Silence is a Falling Body (2017) premiered at IDFA. Her short film, Playback (2019) was part of the Berlinale Shorts Competition in 2020, where it won the Teddy Award. It was also awarded Best Short Film in the Mar del Plata Film Festival and Entrevues Belfort. She is currently working on her second and third films.

Photo by Catalina Bartolomé

 

Chiachio & Giannone joint headshot; We Were No Desert directors

Chiachio & Giannone

Chiachio & Giannone are Argentine visual artists. Leo Chiachio (1969, Buenos Aires) and Daniel Giannone (1964, Córdoba). Their work translates the knowledge of painting into the field of textile arts and it is framed within political debates about new family models and LGBTQ+ issues. Their work has been part of national and international exhibitions. Among these, The Emilio Caraffa Fine Arts Museum (Córdoba, 2014), the Museum of Art and Design (NY, 2014), Victoria and Albert Museum (London, 2015), Cité International de la Tapisserie d’Aubusson (2016) MOLAA, California (2019) and Antre Peaux, Bourges (2022) among others.

 

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

A Simple Machine

Dir. Mark Hoffman
97 min

Cutting costs, swapping four wheels for two, Nick is downsizing to pay off his student debt. It's a path which leads to savings he had not anticipated, even if his girlfriend thinks he's losing it (and she may be right). A lean, low budget gem.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Cookie Queens

Dir. Alysa Nahmias
91 min

A documentary about the annual Girl Scouts' cookie sale is probably not high on your list of must-sees, but don't be too sure — this movie is a delight, a rare celebration of girlhood, supportive family relations, and the art of salesmanship.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Green Valley

Dir. Morgan Tams
84 min

In this lyrical observational doc, Morgan Tams captures the rhythms of a timeless way of life on an off-the-grid farming community on Cortes Island. Join us for a filmmaker Q&A on August 7 and 8.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

L.A. Confidential

Dir. Curtis Hanson
138 min

James Ellroy's complex novel about police corruption and sleaze in 1950s Hollywood spawned this modern neo-noir classic featuring career-making performances from Russell Crowe and Guy Pierce.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Sheep in the Box

Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda
126 min

Shoplifters director Koreeda probes the complexities of grief, love and human connection in the age of AI in this thoughtful, moving drama.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Princess Mononoke

Dir. Hayao Miyazaki
134 min

A mystical fight between humans and the Animal Gods of the forest. Ashitaka, the last prince of a dying race, struggles to find a way for both sides to co-exist. But the fighting only becomes more and more bloody and all hope seems to be lost…

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema