Skip to content

TagSlamdance

Posted Female Filmmakers

Slamdance: Bare Bones

Meryem Lahlou’s short film Bare Bones is a magnificent piece of experimental cinema. It’s a visual masterpiece that in a mere 10 minutes makes the the viewer contemplate the meaning of their own existence. The film begs the question: who  are we when we all share the same face? Stripped of everything that gives us our individuality, what kind of existence would that be? In this 3D animated short, we see homogenous creatures in motion, moving about in minimalist spaces. A disembodied voice dissects the human experience.

The filmmaker was inspired to tell a story about identity. In her director’s statement Meryem Lahlou writes

“I chose to put humanity in a hostile and extreme context, where the earth has lost its abundance, where plastic is the most available resource, where the collective consciousness is reduced to survival.”

This film gave me serious Fritz Lang vibes. I couldn’t help but think of Destiny (1921)  and Metropolis (1927). The visuals in Bare Bones are absolutely stunning. Watch it once as a meditation and a second time as art.

Bare Bones was screened as part of the virtual 2021 Slamdance Film Festival. Learn more about the film here.

Posted Film Festivals

Slamdance: In France Michelle is a Man’s Name

Michael (Ari Damasco) travels back home to visit his estranged parents in the rural countryside. His mother (Olga Sanchez) and father (Jerry Carlton) are still coming to terms with Michael being their transgender son who previously went by Michelle. Michael and his father travel into the city where his father tries to initiate Michael into what he considers the standard right of passage into manhood.

In France Michelle is a Man’s Name is a quiet yet powerful short film about identity and the cruelty of our gender binary culture. Directed by Em Weinstein, the film explores themes of acceptance, understanding and the pressure of societal norms. I was particularly struck by Damacso and Carlton’s performances. They play well off each other. The tension between the two is palpable but so is the unspoken love they have for each other, even if it leads to the father’s misguided actions. 

In France Michelle is a Man’s Name was screened as part of the virtual 2021 Slamdance Film Festival.

Posted Film Festivals

Slamdance: Autoscopy

A sound engineer escapes into the Swedish countryside to record nature sounds. On this venture he stumbles upon an abandoned flotation device. After a night of sound mixing and imbibing homemade mushroom tea, he has an out of body experience that is out of this world.

Directed by Claes Nordwall, Autoscopy is a 14 minute short film that speaks to the mystery and magic of nature. It’s more than a short film, it’s an experience. It offers stunning aerial cinematography and out-of-this-world sound effects. The director writes “this short film stands on its own but is also intended as a proof of concept for a feature currently in development.” Now that’s a feature film I would watch!

Posted 1 Comment on Slamdance: Workhorse Queen Documentaries

Slamdance: Workhorse Queen

With the worldwide popularity of RuPaul’s Drag Race,  drag queens are having a renaissance. For Ed Popil (aka Mrs. Kasha Davis) getting on to the show was the ultimate dream. It would give him the fame and opportunity to take his career to the next level.

After years of trying to conform to the heteronormative ideal imposed on him by his parents and community, Ed Popil left it all behind in order to go on a journey of self-discovery. He landed in Rochester, New York to start afresh. It was there he developed his drag queen persona, Mrs. Kasha Davis, a sassy ’60s housewife who loves a good cocktail. He became part of the local drag community and with the help of his husband became a personality. But can Ed take his Mrs. Kasha Davis persona to the next level?

Directed by Angela Washko, Workhorse Queen is an intimate portrait of a drag queen’s personal and professional transformation. It documents the ups and downs of Ed Popil’s life and career. It’s themes of being true to yourself and achieving your dreams will resonate with audiences. The film has a positive vibe but avoids being a puff piece by demonstrating the struggles along with the triumphs. A must see for fans of RuPauls’ Drag Race.

Workhorse Queen  premiered at the virtual 2021 Slamdance Film Festival.

Posted BIPOC

Slamdance: CODE NAME: Nagasaki

CODE NAME: Nagasaki is one of the most refreshingly unique documentaries I’ve seen in a long time. The film focuses on Marius K. Lunde, a Japanese Norwegian man as he searches for his mother. When he was five years old, his mother left for her home country of Japan, cut off communication with the family and he never heard from her again. Years later he embarks on a quest to find her and reconnect. Along with his friend, filmmaker Fredrik S. Hana, the two make a documentary about his journey. The film is presented in chapters. Each of these have their own titles as though they were short films stitched together making one feature film. It combines documentary footage along with reenactments and imaginings. These vignettes are a beautiful combination of film noir and Japanese horror and are played out by Marius. He plays the dual roles of film noir detective and the demon that has haunted him for years. Fredrik and Marius travel to Japan to find her and scenes that could not be filmed (or were chosen not to be filmed) are presented with animation.

CODE NAME: Nagasaki is an ingenious documentary. I loved the combination of filmmaking styles. None of it felt gimmicky. Instead, it felt authentic and the film just had this organic flow to it. Highly recommended.

CODE NAME: Nagasaki premiered at the virtual 2021 Slamdance Film Festival

%d bloggers like this: