MODES 2

Intimate and unapologetic stories of women and queer lives are uncovered through provocative and deeply personal accounts that examine memory, identity, and dignity.

This short film program includes the following films:

Rezbotanik
Pedro Gonçalves Ribeiro, Portugal/Brazil/Spain (19 min)

After a night partying, Rezmorah sobers up in the botanical gardens of Lisbon, pondering what the plants can teach us about queerness.

Abortion Party
Julia Mellen, Spain (14 min)

Director Julia Mellen animates and celebrates the termination of her pregnancy with an unexpected array of guests.

It Must be Because I Decided to Leave
Zhuoyun Chen, China/USA (19 min)

A young woman’s drifting consciousness traces the mystery of an elusive red car.

Daria’s Night Flower
Maryam Tafakory, Iran/UK/France (16 min)

Daria has written her first manuscript about falling in love with a mysterious girl called Blue. The night flowers in her garden hide the secrets of a country that has turned love stories into routine crime scenes.

Goodbye, Fishies
Jonathan Zhang, Australia (12 min)

Personal stories reinterpreted by the actors and director, depict a Thai mother consumed with deep regret for missing her grandmother’s last moments.

Lloyd Wong, Unfinished
Lesley Loksi Chan, Canada (29 min)

Thirty years after his passing, filmmaker Lesley Chan re-examines Lloyd Wong’s uncompleted video art project about living with HIV.