Vanishing Traces

The trace marks the absence of a presence, a present that is always already absent, Derrida wrote. Coming into dialogue with the films from the first program, Ruins of the Future, and with the notion of a future that has become impossible, in Vanishing Traces we examine the disappearance, the annihilation of the past that has been accelerated by various phenomena, from aggressive urban and technological development to conflict, war, and marginalization (both economic and social) – as much as we propose a kind of archaeology. The image is the contemporary medium that lends itself best to preserving and reconstructing: from community spaces both physical and digital, to the ages/era of the cinematic image, and to testimonies of the great tragedies of the 21st century. (Flavia Dima)

SMOKE OF THE FIRE

Daryna Mamaisur | Duration 22 min.

There is Portugal, there is the Portuguese language and there is a Ukrainian filmmaker who learns the language and approaches the role of the potential migrant. Between languages, between images from here and those from a country at war, a voice tries to put into words the state of exile.

PACIFIC CLUB

Valentin Noujaïm | Duration 16 min.

In 1979, the Pacific Club was opened in a basement of La Défense — the business district of Paris. It was the first nightclub for Arabs from the suburbs; a parallel world of dance, sweat, young loves, and one-night utopias. Azedine tells us the forgotten story of this club and of a generation who dreamed of integrating into France.

GEOMARKR

Chloé Galibert-Laîné | Duration 22 min.

After spending years travelling the world with his camera, Chris Marker embraced the online world as a new stage for his filmmaking explorations. Years later, in lockdown, thousands of gamers started playing GeoGuessr, an online game that invites its players to roam the world through their computer screens.

BLACK STRANGERS

Dan Guthrie | Duration 8 min.

After seeing him mentioned on a Bishop’s Transcript held in Gloucestershire Archives, Dan goes for a walk in the woods in search of Daniel, a man buried in Nympsfield on the 31st of December 1719 and described on the document as ‘a black stranger’. Whilst walking, Dan talks directly to Daniel, speculating about the parallels between him and his namesake.

WE KNEW HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY WERE, THESE ISLANDS

Younes Ben Slimane | Duration 20 min.

In the middle of Zarzis' migrant cemetery in South Tunisia, a solitary stranger performs his nocturnal ritual, delicately digging the graves and watching over the resting souls. As night falls, he unveils their objects - a collection of objects that bear witness to their scars and stories.