AFO 60th Edition - 2025

Adonis (2024)

Jérémie Battaglia

A hard-hitting documentary that tackles head-on a controversial but increasingly alarming subject: young men's obsession with the perfect body, and the use of performance-enhancing drugs to achieve it. Once the preserve of top-level athletes, the use of anabolic steroids has become endemic among teenagers and young men with a passion for bodybuilding. Daring to tackle head-on the taboo of male beauty standards, Adonis offers a field investigation into the heart of this muscle-building machine, questioning the reasons behind and the physical, psychological and social risks of this race to the perfect body. As he stages his own vulnerability, the filmmaker lifts the veil on the scale of the public health crisis that is looming.

Animal Pride (2024)

Rio Mitchell

In Animal Pride, Nature's Coming Out Story, queer naturalist Connel Bradwell challenges mainstream biology's blind spot for queer animal behavior. Fueled by his love for nature, Connel discovers the science behind same-sex parenting in seabirds, hermaphrodite slugs and the hidden history of same-sex penguin behavior. Animal Pride celebrates diversity and presents a rebellion against stereotypes.

Anthropocene, the Undeniable Truth

Cédric Defert

Million years ago Meteorites bombardment or huge volcanic eruptions have led to deep changes affecting life on Earth, triggering extinction and defining a change of Era. Closer to us over the last 150 years, the Human imprint has grown to such an extent that we as humans have become the driving force behind the new geological era called the Anthropocene. Proving this reality is at the heart of an international scientific investigation involving several teams of oceanographers, geologists and climatologists at the four corners of our planet. Their goal: document and establish the scale and lasting imprint of man-made pollution in the geological layers of the Earth and in the depth of our soils and seabed. Official results of the winner of the Golden Spike will be issued in January 2024.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Sofie Benoot

Stones are at once the most foundational and the most overlooked parts of our lifeworld. When a retired nature documentary narrator passes a kidney stone, she decides to tell one more story about this forgotten world of stone . A hypnotic essay film asking urgent ecological questions, Apple Cider Vinegar takes the viewer on a journey meeting Palestinian quarry workers, passionate Britisch Geologist and People living on the lava fields of Fogo.

Birdsong (2024)

Kathleen Harris

Ornithologist Seán Ronayne from Cobh, Co. Cork is on a mission to record the sound of every bird species in Ireland - that's nearly 200 birds.

Burkitt (2024)

Éanna Mac Cana

A documentary film exploring the life of Irish surgeon Denis Burkitt, who discovered Burkitt's lymphoma, as told by a survivor of this cancer.

Butterfly Journey (2024)

Paul Phelan

Beautiful, delicate yet unbelievably resilient, the butterfly is one of nature's most enigmatic creatures. A story of adaptation and survival, we follow the vast migrations of the Blue Tigers of Australia and the Monarchs of North America and Mexico. With the help of cutting edge slow-motion, drone and macro filming techniques, we see the butterflies' tiny world in immaculate detail as they overcome the challenges of metamorphosis and migration, fly thousands of kilometers and as high as 3300 meters. Butterfly Journey reveals our interconnected and awe-inspiring world on the giant screen, through the eyes of the butterflies. Yet what fate awaits them when the fine-tuned climates they intimately know suddenly shift?

Doppelgängers³

Nelly Ben Hayoun- Stépanian

"Doppelgängers³" draws on the experience of diasporas to challenge the commercialisation of the moon. Through encounters with doppelgängers and meetings with scientists, visionaries and cultural inventors, Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian and her doppelgängers offer an experimental vision and template for a future diaspora beyond Earth. How will human inhabitants of the moon understand origin, borders and nations? The film culminates in an analog space mission in a deep cave in Spain in which we see Ben Hayoun-Stépanian and her doppelgängers experiencing a moon utopia. But things do not go according to plan... A visual, sonic experience with music by Pussy Riot, Colin Self and more. A film shot

Flamingos: Life After the Meteorite

Lorenzo Hagerman

Finding the right mate, the right place and the right time to create a family is the most critical quest in nature. This miraculous tale follows the Caribbean Flamingos through the most delicate period of their existence. Over nine years in the making, this film breaks new ground in natural history storytelling, blending unique narration with humor and breathtaking imagery. Narrated by Julieta Venegas and featuring a soundtrack by Bryce Dessner, it promises a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience.

Flyways: The Untold Journey of Migratory Shorebirds

Randall Wood

Take a birds-eye-view journey into the world of the migratory shorebird. The world's greatest endurance athletes fly up to 9 days non-stop, and they need your help. Come along and hear the message from the birds

Human Race (2025)

Simon David de-Tusch Lec

Human Race is a documentary directed by Simon David de-Tusch Lec, focusing on the renowned Danish evolutionary geneticist Eske Willerslev. The film provides an intimate look into Willerslev's life and work, blending elements of workplace dynamics with a touch of the supernatural, reminiscent of The Office meeting Riget. It delves into his groundbreaking research and the challenges he faces in the scientific community. The documentary offers viewers a unique perspective on the complexities of scientific exploration and the personal journey of a leading figure in the field.

Into the Heart of Pain

Marc Wolfensberger Marcel Schüpbach

Into the Heart of Pain is an 85-minute documentary directed by Marc Wolfensberger, in collaboration with Marcel Schüpbach. The film explores the complexities of pain perception and management, delving into why individuals experience pain differently and whether we have mechanisms to modulate it. Through personal narratives, such as that of Patrice Dubosson, an agriculturist who returned to work shortly after a severe leg injury, and Mélanie Ammann, a professional dancer whose minor surgery led to chronic pain and depression, the documentary examines the disparities in pain endurance and the psychological and physiological factors influencing it. The film also questions the contemporary relevance of suffering and overcoming pain in an era of medical advancements.

John Lilly and the Earth Coincidence Control Office

Courtney Stephens Michael Almereyda

With a stunning array of archival images and sounds, renowned filmmakers Courtney Stephens and Michael Almereyda explore the life and ideas of intrepid mid-century utopian neuroscientist, John C. Lilly, whose unorthodox experimentations into human and animal consciousness were controversial in methodology but far-reaching in intent.

Light Darkness Light

Landon Van Soest

Father Ian Nichols has just had cutting-edge surgery. The darkness of the world he once lived in has now been transformed to one of abstract artificial vision. Acutely sensitive to the environment around him and articulate in conveying the sensations he experiences – physically, emotionally and spiritually – his presence transforms Light Darkness Light into a profound meditation on lived experiences. The film tackles themes of perception, memory and imagination, inviting viewers to contemplate their own connections to these ideas. At times strikingly beautiful, Van Soest's empathetic portrait becomes a moving rumination of the way we live in the world and the role our senses play in being connected to it.

Lost for Words (2024)

Hannah Papacek-Harper

LOST FOR WORDS is inspired by Jackie Morris and Robert Macfarlane's The Lost Words book, created in response to 50 nature words being taken out of the Oxford Youth Dictionary in 2007, such as raven, magpie, otter, adder, acorn... This best seller has had a vast and unexpected impact and was distributed to schools across the UK, adapted for the theatre and even recomposed into music. It is a growing phenomenon that continues to expand worldwide by raising one main question that we, too, reflect on in our documentary: How can we preserve what we can no longer name? This choral documentary gives a voice to children, scientists, artists, the elderly... leading us through the seasons and also letting nature speak for itself as we are brought to question our anthropocentric perspective.

My Want of You Partakes of Me

Sasha Litvintseva Beny Wagner

An imaginative film about the digestive process as a condition for our physical existence - and as a prism for an intellectual journey through the cultural history of the body.

Observer (2025)

Ian Cheney

In OBSERVER, filmmaker Ian Cheney embarks on an experiment in which he brings a series of keen-eyed observers - scientists, artists, a hunter - to a range of locations around the world, often without telling them where they are going, and asks them simply to describe what they see. What unfolds is a deep exploration and celebration of the power of observation: what happens when you find new ways to sense and perceive the world around you? With customary whimsy and a small painted red square that Cheney brings on every journey, the film is an invitation to viewers to find beauty and meaning in even the most quotidian of locales.

SALLY (2025)

Cristina Costantini

Sally Ride became the first American woman to blast off into space, but beneath her unflappable composure was a secret. Sally's life partner, Tam O'Shaughnessy, reveals their hidden romance and the sacrifices that accompanied their 27 years together.

Shelf Life (2024)

Ian Cheney Robyn Metcalf

Quirky and contemplative, this delectable documentary takes us on a surprising global odyssey into the world of cheese, drawing unexpected parallels between the aging of cheese and the human experience of growing old.

Starman (2025)

Robert Stone

Legendary NASA robotics engineer and best-selling science fiction author, Gentry Lee, has spent a lifetime seeking an answer to the ultimate cosmic question: Are we alone in the universe? At age 82 he has come to a revelatory conclusion.

The Forest (2024)

Jamie Lochhead

The story of a brilliant ecologist with a plan to save the world by restoring the planet's forests. His original work was hijacked by corporations and politicians with disastrous effect. Now he's using science to fight back.

The Sun (2024)

Fabian Korbinian Wolf

Unlock the Sun's mysteries, from life source to the Earth's greatest threat. Experts, scientists and everyday people unveil the secrets, and their beliefs, of the ultimate celestial body.

Tracing Light (2024)

Thomas Riedelsheimer

Without light, there would be no cinema - and no life. Searching for the origin of images, this film delves into two worlds that explore the magic of light: physics and art.

Turtle Walker (2024)

Taira Malaney

In the 1970s, Satish Bhaskar became a turtle walker: He walked nearly the entire coastline of India and the spectacular Andaman and Nicobar Islands in search of sea turtles. Carrying a camera and a notepad, he documented turtles' nesting areas and tried to save them from extinction. Then the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck, putting all his work and the creatures he loved in peril.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Music

Mats Andersen

What We Talk About When We Talk About Music is an artistic & scientific documentary which takes us from the studios of some of today's most prominent Norwegian musicians (Aurora Aksnes, Kjetil Møster, Jonas Benyoub) and way back to the early stages of human evolution where the physiological, mental and psychological foundation for our love affair with music was laid.

Medvěd (Because of Bear)

Miro Remo

Medvěd (Because of Bear) is a documentary directed by Miro Remo that delves into the escalating tensions in Slovakia regarding the alleged overpopulation of protected brown bears. The film explores the polarizing conflict between hunters advocating for culling and conservationists striving for protection. Through in-depth interviews and on-the-ground footage, the documentary examines whether these opposing factions can find common ground and collaborate on this pressing environmental issue.

Město jako laboratoř změny (City as a Laboratory of Change)

Amálie Kovářová

Město jako laboratoř změny is a documentary directed by Amálie Kovářová, exploring urban environments as dynamic spaces for innovation and transformation. The film delves into how cities serve as experimental grounds for social, cultural, and technological changes, highlighting various initiatives and projects that exemplify this evolution.

Čeští vědci v Antarktidě (Czech Scientists in Antarctica)

Petr Horký

Čeští vědci v Antarktidě is a documentary directed by Petr Horký that showcases the work of Czech scientists at the Johann Gregor Mendel Czech Antarctic Station on James Ross Island. The film provides an in-depth look into their research on climate change impacts in Antarctica and how these changes resonate globally. Through breathtaking visuals of the harsh Antarctic environment, the documentary offers insights into the challenges and discoveries of these researchers.

Architektura ČSSR 58–89 (Czechoslovak Architecture 58-89)

Jan Zajicek

Architects, their relatives, colleagues, historians and art theorists tell stories connected with socialist buildings and bring a comprehensive view of this stigmatized part of the history of Czechoslovak architecture. Expo 58, Prior or Kotva. Architecture created during the period of socialism arouses constant discussion in today's public space. For a part of society, it is just a monotonous example of a remnant of the communist regime, which it would prefer to forget. The documentary series, however, looks at the resulting buildings without ideological prejudices and focuses primarily on the actual work of the architects at that time. The eight-part series was created based on the theme of Vladimír 518, who published his own book on the topic. We will screen two parts within the program block.

Doktor na tripu (Doctor on a Trip)

David Čálek

One in four people will experience some form of mental illness in their lifetime. Depression and other mental health issues are not just individual struggles; they reflect the stressful nature of modern society. Tibor, Richard, and Lucie have battled depression for years, with traditional antidepressants offering no relief. Just when change seemed impossible, new hope emerged: groundbreaking research led by Tomáš Páleníček, MD, and an international team of scientists. Their goal is ambitious: to see if psychedelics can make a real difference in the lives of people with depression and open the door to new alternative treatments. To test this, they travel to the Amazon rainforest, where the experiences of indigenous people could represent a major breakthrough in alternative treatments.

Kronika šťastného dětství (Chronicle of a Happy Childhood)

Kateřina Kořínková Šárka Loukotová Adéla Klingohrová

Chronicle of a Happy Childhood is a documentary series that delves into the intricacies of childhood experiences, capturing the essence of growing up through various lenses. The series offers a profound exploration of the formative years, highlighting the joys, challenges, and pivotal moments that shape an individual's early life.

Krajina Dana Bárty (Land of Dan Bárta)

Zdeněk Suchý

The documentary series is a loose continuation of the Czechs Rescue series from 2018. This time it will touch on ethical and practical issues of our relationship to the landscape that is physically closest to us. It will therefore look at its current state, modern conservation, the position of wildlife in our value ranking and visions of sustainable landscapes that relate both to traditional farming methods and the need to respond to contemporary changes. We will screen two episodes entitled Land with Raccoon and Acacia and Land with Wolf Pack.

Lapilli

Paula Ďurinová

In her feature-length debut director Paula Ďurinová sets out to wander among varied rock formations in order to try and come to terms with the loss of her grandparents. Different stages of grief unfold among the sea currents, the dark caves and the volcanic wasteland, while the strings of an autoharp resonate in the ravines. Lapilli finds a unique balance between the personal and the environmental in a modernistic requiem full of perceptive observations on natural phenomena and on man himself. This is a work that excels in its inner strength and rare film language, where sea waves reflect shifting thoughts, and where the erosion of arid soil is reminiscent of a broken heart filled with memories of people who are lost to us forever.

Lišejníky (Lichens are the Way)

Ondřej Vavrečka

A close-up study of radically different life forms that puts our own human scale in a new and thought-provoking light. Lichens are amazing organisms. A combination of a fungus and algae, two life forms that once upon a time decided to enter into symbiosis with each other. Fungi have difficulty photosynthesising and algae have difficulty incorporating sugar. Therefore, their union is beneficial for both parties. Or in other words: It is better to live together than to live alone. 'Lichens are the Way' is a loving and thought-provoking close-up study of radically different life forms, and of what happens when we turn our attention to beings and life forms outside our own scale. Czech Ondřej Vavrečka shot his radically imaginative, organic film in Canada, where lichenologist Trevor and his partner have created a home together in the symbiotic spirit of the object of their studies.

Pachová stopa (Scent Evidence)

Zuzana Piussi

Among the law enforcement and judicial methods with very high relevance in the evidentiary proceedings of many ex-communist states, the so-called "scent evidence" is included. Its main protagonist is a dog, which convicts the perpetrator. This method originated in the former GDR and was initially secretly employed by the German police against political dissent. Over the years, it became domesticated as one of the accepted strong evidentiary methods, and its acceptance extended to the law enforcement and judicial practices of democratic states in many Eastern Bloc countries. In the Czech Republic, the result of a "scent evidence" alone is sufficient as evidenc

Sběratelé kratomu (The Kratom Collectors)

Libor Cinegr

Sběratelé kratomu is a 2024 Czech documentary that provides an in-depth exploration of kratom, a psychoactive substance derived from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree. The film examines the cultivation and processing of kratom in Indonesia, its distribution channels, and the experiences of users in the Czech Republic. By presenting diverse perspectives, including those of cultivators, distributors, users, and advocates for regulation, the documentary aims to offer a comprehensive understanding of kratom's benefits, risks, and its complex legal and social status.

Divoká Poľana –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Vlci z Polany (Wild Polana –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Wolves from Polana)

Rastislav Dobrovodský

Wild Polana –⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Wolves from Poľana is a documentary directed by Rastislav Dobrovodský that delves into the lives of wolves inhabiting the Poľana Biosphere Reserve in Slovakia. The film offers an intimate look at the behavior, social structures, and challenges faced by these apex predators within the unique ecosystem of a dormant volcanic mountain range. Through captivating cinematography, the documentary sheds light on the intricate balance between wildlife and human activities in the region.

Vaše dítě (Your Child)

Andrea Sedláčková

Vaše dítě (Your Child) is a documentary directed by Andrea Sedláčková that explores the complexities of parenthood and child-rearing in contemporary society. The film delves into the challenges and joys faced by parents, examining various parenting styles and the societal expectations surrounding raising children. Through intimate interviews and observational footage, the documentary offers a nuanced perspective on what it means to be a parent in today's world.

Accidental Animals

Leila Fatima Keita Felix Klee

Accidental Animals is a 10-minute documentary essay film co-directed by Leila Fatima Keita and Felix Klee. The film examines unexpected encounters between Google's Street View cars and various animals, such as spiders, donkeys, and dogs. It delves into questions about technology's interaction with the natural world, including instances where algorithms blur animals' faces and the implications of capturing animals through technological lenses. The film prompts viewers to consider the consequences of these digital interactions on our understanding of animals and their environments.

Arctic Ice: Under The Midnight Sun

Michelle Sanders

Arctic Ice: Under The Midnight Sun is a collaboration between filmmaker Michelle Sanders and composer Alice Boyd. This audiovisual piece explores the mesmerizing beauty of Arctic sea ice and highlights the urgent threats it faces due to climate change. Filmed during Sanders' 2023 expedition to Baffin Bay with The Explorers Club and Adventure Canada, the film combines intimate macro shots and expansive drone footage to showcase the Arctic's fragile ecosystem. Boyd's haunting score incorporates field recordings from the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, emphasizing the region's ephemeral soundscape. The film serves as a poignant reminder of the rapid loss of Arctic sea ice and its global implications.

Autism Plays Itself

Janet Harbord

A film shot in 1957 at the Maudsley Hospital, London, captures children under observation for atypical behavior. In the present day, three autistic respondents watch the footage, offering new and insightful interpretations of the children's actions.

Bioshorts – Regeneration Tricks

Daniela Hýbnerová Daniela Hýbnerová

A short animated documentary offers a glimpse into the lives of animals with fascinating cellular regeneration abilities that make some nearly immortal. Biologist Jaroslav Petr introduces creatures with unique regenerative abilities – the spiny mouse, the fire-bellied salamander and the sea slug Elysia marginata – a stellar trio that will surprise many scientists.

Pie Dan Lo (Black Tide)

Kim Yip Tong

On July 25, 2020, the bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground on the reef on the east coast of Mauritius. The local fishing community, for whom the sea was everything, waited in vain for an official salvage operation as oil gushed from the disintegrating wreck, spreading to every corner of the lagoon and up the waterways. This lyrical, beautifully drawn animation, with commentary from those who witnessed this disaster, pays tribute to the Mauritians who united to save their precious environment.

Decoding Ancestral Knowledge

Ruth Lichtman Sharon Shattuck

Hawaiian microbiologist Kiana Frank takes us to a sacred fish pond and explains how traditional knowledge and microbiology can work together to help us understand how to care for and manage the land.

Dream to Cure Water

Ciril Jazbec

The film speaks about Peru's Andes which face a water crisis. 70% of world's tropical glaciers melt rapidly, threatening water supply for millions. Ancient communities fight back, blending tradition with science to adapt. Acidic meltwater poisons rivers, crops, and livestock. All 200 Peruvian glaciers at risk, some might disappear soon.

Eyes Eyes Baby

Charlotte Rodenstedt

In "Eyes Eyes Baby," we meet an organ that is wonderful but imperfect, invaluable but completely imperfect, and sometimes even unreliable. Perhaps ears or a tongue could replace them?

Habbal et al. (2024)

Sean Paulsen Brad Wickham

Habbal et al. follows Dr. Shadia Habbal, a Syrian-American astronomer and physicist, as she leads an international team of astronomers—affectionately known as the "Solar Wind Sherpas"—in preparation for the 2024 total solar eclipse. The documentary offers an intimate look into their meticulous planning, the challenges they face, and their passion for unraveling the mysteries of the Sun's corona during this celestial event.​

Iron Cow (2024)

Barbora Aradská

The film depicts the relationship between a farmer and his cattle. The protagonist is Milan Kazda, the mayor of the only energy self-sufficient municipality in the Czech Republic - Kněžice. The second character is his cow, which is constantly hungry and requires attention and care. Since she is a constant burden, she is figuratively an iron cow for the farmer.

Moonshot Mission (2024)

Sara Kolster

Building the world's first quantum internet before 2030? Stephanie Wehner believes it can be done.
In 1969 the first message was successfully sent over the internet, heralding a revolution in communication technology. Today, we are on the eve of a new revolution: that of the quantum internet, a fundamentally new method of communication which relies on the laws of quantum physics and is intrinsically secure, inherently stable and incredibly efficient. This paves the way for applications that haven't even been thought of yet.
Quantum scientist and former hacker Stephanie Wehner is on a mission to develop the worlds' first operational quantum internet network before 2030. A daunting task, which some would even call crazy, but Wehner believes she can do it – not only by writing scientific articles, but simply by building it.

Moving Mountains

Renko Douze

On his quest to map the consequences of climate change, mountain hydrologist Walter Immerzeel and his team venture to heights where other scientists do not go. From his tent base in the Himalayas, he monitors over 200 instruments measuring variables like snowfall, temperature, air pressure, solar irradiance, windspeed and more.
These data must be extremely accurate in order to reliably predict changes in the region's water cycle – which is of crucial importance for the millions of people who live in the climate-sensitive areas downstream. In Moving Mountains, filmmaker and mountaineer Renko Douze follows Immerzeel on one of his mountain expeditions.

Nittaituq (2023)

Camille Poirier Mathilde Poirier Flore Sergeant

Nittaituq is a 16-minute Canadian short documentary that delves into the profound impact of climate change on the Inuit community of Mittimatalik, located on northern Baffin Island, Nunavut. Through intimate interviews with residents across generations, the film captures their observations, concerns, and adaptive strategies in response to the rapidly changing Arctic environment. The documentary offers a poignant portrayal of resilience and the evolving relationship between the Inuit people and their ancestral land.

Seeing Fungi (2024)

Mateo Barrenengoa

Are fungi the alpha and the omega? A trio of researchers journey to Tierra del Fuego to study mushrooms and their potential for protecting the environment. The viewers can join their conversations that uncover more than just the contagious fascination with these organisms.

Testerep

Vincent Langouche

A team of scientists explore the vanished island of Testerep off the Belgian coast. Traditional excavations are combined with advanced technologies, like computer simulations and sound wave analyses, to trace the coastal evolution over 5,000 years.
As researchers decode the mysteries, they contemplate the symbiotic relationship between humans, technology, and our temporal landscape, offering glimpses into future virtual worlds and bridging the gaps between the past, present, and the ever-evolving role of technology in shaping our understanding of the world.

The Art of Looking (2024)

Andris Gauja

Astronomers look through telescopes and see that the universe has a structure — it's shaped like a web. Slime mold researchers look through microscopes and see that the tiny organisms form similar patterns. In their quest of discovering the nature of things, they both show the beauty of curiosity.

The Bird in my Backyard

Ryan Wilkes

The Bird in my Backyard follows a window salesman turned hummingbird expert as he documents the secret lives of the hummingbirds that nest in his urban backyard.

The Conquest of Space

Albin Biblom

Some months before Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space, chimpanzee Ham is blasted into the stratosphere, as seen through archival footage in this tragicomic look at the space program and the animals that "made it" before humankind.

Twig (2024)

Claire Sanford

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 10-minute version of this film available. It can be viewed here if you feel this would be a better format for your festival. Please view only after considering the 42 minute film. Thank you!
Twig 10 minute version:
https://vimeo.com/clairesanford/twig10min
Yellow streams of sand flow across the dunes in the Kubuqi Desert of Inner Mongolia, where 81-year-old Ambassador Kwon, the former South Korean ambassador to China, plants trees with hundreds of students in matching green jackets chanting, "Save the Earth!" Kwon's life mission? To plant one billion trees, stopping the desert in its tracks. But as the winds whip up the desert's surface into sandstorms and Kwon's freshly planted trees begin to disappear in the yellow winds, we are left to wonder: are these unlikely forests up to the task?

Wetlands – Life Blood

Matt Jarvis

A short film with Peter Cooper discussing wetlands being the life blood of the world, their cultural history in the UK, and what they mean to him. Filmed at Lawrence Weston Moor in Bristol.

Soulpaint

Sarah Ticho Niki Smit

"Soulpaint" exists at the nexus of immersive technology, creative storytelling and wellbeing to explore the richness of the embodied human experience. Participants are taken on a journey to explore and creatively express feelings of emotion and sensations in the body. Through the process of bodymapping, 3D drawing and movement, they are invited to reveal their unique inner reality and then observe the creations of others. Using interactive technology in a genre-pushing way, this experience encourages new forms of embodied insight, allowing us to reflect on the diversity of human experience on an individual and global level.

Mammary Mountain

Tara Baoth Mooney Camille C. Baker Maf'j Alvarez

Mammary Mountain is an intimate performative, VR experience created in collaboration with artists Tara Baoth Mooney and Camille Baker that explores disease within the body through the experience of breast cancer. This innovative new artwork uses cutting-edge technology to creatively explore and expose women's healthcare struggles, particularly the hidden experiences of breast cancer treatment, with women's lived experiences and their stories directly informing the work.

Age of The Monster (2024)

Benjamin Nuel

Starting from a suburban house in the late 1970s, a succession of time jumps takes us from a cozy family home to a nature-centric, post-industrial era. We journey across time, following in the footsteps of a peaceful monster which symbolizes the rebirth of the river. By leaving jump by jump their familiar environment, the audience is invited to rethink his relationship with the living world

Wilfred Buck’s Star Stories

Lisa Jackson The Macronauts

Guided by the wisdom of Ininew astronomer Wilfred Buck, this immersive experience shares four Cree star stories, exploring the cosmos to teach us how to live a good life with future generations in mind.

Drinking Brecht

sister sylvester

Using DNA extracted from a hat worn by actors in Bertolt Brecht's Berliner Ensemble, Drinking Brecht is a live, illustrated essay that explores the past and present of genetics and synthetic biology. A documentary that you can drink, the work ingests worn-out scientific narratives and turns them into a marxist-feminist ritual, and a celebration of science for the people.

Turbulence: Jamais Vu

Ben Joseph Andrews Emma Roberts

When extended reality artist Ben Joseph Andrews suffers an attack of vestibular migraine, he loses his sense of orientation, balance and spatial awareness. It also affects his experience of reality, where everything familiar suddenly seems new and different—a neurological phenomenon called "jamais vu".
Andrews lets you experience this sensation of jamais vu yourself with a VR headset. This distorts your reality into a black world with objects outlined in white. Sitting at a table, Andrews guides you with his voice through a series of actions with everyday objects, which suddenly feel awkward and clumsy—something as simple as leafing through a book feels strange. How does this experience affect your image of your environment, of the material world, of yourself?
Turbulence: Jamais Vu is the first part of a series of mixed reality works that Andrews is making about the chronic condition he lives with, in an attempt to see it not as an impediment, but as a source of creativity.

Empereur (Emperor)

Marion Burger Ilan Cohen

This interactive VR experience puts you inside the brain of a man with aphasia. You not only share the experience of a father who has lost his speech, but also hear the story of his daughter, who is trying to communicate with him. She attempts to unravel the past that he can no longer talk about, and you join her in the puzzle.
After the daughter has introduced their story, you take on the role of the father during a speech therapy session. You try to perform different exercises with your hands. They are apparently simple, but your control is disrupted—you're unable to express what you mean. And then early memories emerge, which prove stronger than the here-and-now of the exercises.
Monochrome pencil drawings come to life like a dreamy and imaginative animated experience—and you're right in the middle of it, transported to the mysterious geography of Aphasia.