Shorts Program II
New Directors/New Films 2023
March 29 - April 9, 2023
Includes The Spiral, Chomp It!, Jitterbug, Serafina, and The Kidnapping of the Bride.
Q&As with Mark Chua, Lam Li Shuen, Ayo Akingbade, Noa Epars, Anna Simonetti & Sophia Mocorrea
The Spiral
María Silvia Esteve, 2022, Argentina, 19m
English and Swedish with English subtitles
New York Premiere
“I’m not crazy, I’m just heartbroken” appears in neon yellow text over a kaleidoscopic rainbow spiral. A chaotic symphony composed of hypnotic images and WhatsApp voice messages, narrated by a nameless protagonist on the brink of a health-related panic attack, results in a striking exploration of anxiety, identity, and how we find a sense of home.
Chomp It!
Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen, 2023, Singapore, 11m
North American Premiere
Shot on 16mm that feels impossibly tactile, Chomp It! is a pulsating visual and sonic feast that follows two men, both part-crocodile, in their desperate attempt to cool down at the local pool. Skewering the constraints of life in modern-day Singapore, co-directors Mark Chua and Lam Li Shuen create a completely singular and riotous experience.
Jitterbug
Ayo Akingbade, 2022, United Kingdom, 23m
North American Premiere
Eighteen-year-old Afeni’s aspirations to attend Cambridge to study art history are threatened as gentrification tightens its grip on her neighborhood in Northeast London. Ayo Akingbade’s tenderly directed Jitterbug seamlessly weaves the emotional threads of coming of age in a time and place that challenge who you can become.
Serafina
Noa Epars and Anna Simonetti, 2022, Switzerland, 10m
French and Italian with English subtitles
North American Premiere
A young Eastern Orthodox woman—named for Saint Seraphim, who withdrew from human society—decides to leave the church and join a local group of motorcycle riders in this effortlessly stylish documentary of life on the margins.
The Kidnapping of the Bride
Sophia Mocorrea, 2023, Germany, 30m
English, German, and Spanish with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Inspired by the German tradition of “kidnapping” a bride on her wedding night, director Sophia Mocorrea spins the lived-in love story of young couple Luisa and Fred, who must contend with the burden of tradition and cross-cultural expectations as their families converge for their marriage.
Read More
Rose of Nevada Director Mark Jenkin on His New Sci-Fi Tinged Tale
On the latest episode of FLC Luminaries, our video series that spotlights talent at all levels of the filmmaking process who uplift the art and craft of cinema, Rose of Nevada director Mark Jenkin discusses his sci-fi-tinged tale of dislocation and regeneration.
Kamal Aljafari on With Hasan in Gaza and ‘The Camera of the Dispossessed’
Our 63rd New York Film Festival Talks featured a special conversation with With Hasan in Gaza director Kamal Aljafari, moderated by Film Comment editor Devika Girish.
Lucrecia Martel on Our Land (Nuestra Tierra), the Filmmaker’s First Feature Documentary
On the latest episode of FLC Luminaries, our video series that spotlights talent at all levels of the filmmaking process who uplift the art and craft of cinema, Our Land (Nuestra Tierra) director Lucrecia Martel discusses her expansive and enlightening first feature documentary.
