Spanning a century of cinema, this retrospective traces the evolving face of stardom from silent-era pioneers to contemporary icons. Through nine thematic chapters and a curated selection of one hundred films, it examines the star system, shifting modernities, emerging representations of desire and identity, and the rise of anti-heroes. Shot and assembled for a keen focus on the human visage, the program foregrounds cinematic techniques that reinvent how films capture presence and persona.
Zamo Mkhwanazi’s powerful drama follows a young man who fights to protect his family, his dignity and his dream of freedom against the brutal backdrop of apartheid. Shot with intimate, unflinching cinematography and a measured, humanist gaze, the film blends raw realism with moments of tenderness. It explores courage, resistance and the moral costs of survival, portraying how hope and personal dignity can become sources of strength even in the darkest circumstances.
In presence of director Zamo Mkhwanazi
Erik Bernasconi’s 1977-set coming‑of‑age drama follows Mario, a sixteen‑year‑old sent for the summer to a high‑altitude farm. Shot in naturalistic, panoramic images, the film captures the wild, muscular rhythm of the mountains and the tentative intensity of a first love. Between awkwardness at school and fraught ties with his father, Mario learns through landscape and encounter, in a delicate balance of silence and heat. A subtle, sensory portrait of youth and belonging.
In presence of director Erik Bernasconi.
Ciel Sourdeau’s eight-minute, seventeen-second video unfolds as a subversive tutorial: part gore, part experimental film, it repurposes pedagogical forms into an improvised, transgressive bricolage. Mixed by Adrien Kessler, the piece layers tactile sound and rough-edged visuals to probe bodies, identity and the limits of instruction. Its stripped, confrontational aesthetic alternates shock and dark humour, inviting a re-examination of learning rituals and the politics of representation through intimate, unsettling imagery.
Opening: 3 September, 18:00
Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s haunting film follows Uncle Boonmee as supernatural visitations and tender memories lead him to confront mortality. Shot with languid long takes, luminous natural light and a patient, dreamlike rhythm, the film blends everyday intimacy with mythic strangeness. Palme d’Or winner at Cannes, it explores reincarnation, familial bonds and the porous boundary between life and death with quiet compassion, inviting reflection rather than offering answers.
Emmanuel Marre’s tense historical drama unfolds in Vichy France, following Henri Marre, a disillusioned engineer seeking status within the new administration. Adapted from his self-published political tract, the film probes ambition, moral compromise and the mechanics of power. Shot with austere precision and measured pacing, it balances tight, procedural detail with intimate character study. Honed by a screenplay recognised at Cannes 2026, the film traces how personal failure and national crisis entwine.
In presence of director Emmanuel Marre
“Pour the Water as I Leave” is an immersive cinematic experience that blends experimental filmmaking, visual art, and atmospheric storytelling into a deeply contemplative journey. Moving beyond conventional narrative, the film explores themes of memory, identity, transformation, and the emotional landscapes shaped by water, inviting audiences to engage with its evocative imagery and sensory sound design. Through its poetic visual language and meditative rhythm, the screening offers a space for reflection where cinema becomes both an artistic and emotional encounter, appealing to lovers of independent film and contemporary audiovisual creation.
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