Louis Anania

A playwright begins to mentally unravel before premiere night. She is plagued by dreams and visions of being watched, but cannot decide if she is at the center of a manipulative plot or simply losing her grip on reality.

Stephen watches a group of boys playing basketball. The look in his eyes betrays his sexual interests. When the boys realize, he becomes a victim of their homophobia. Or does it only seem so?

Geist Zeit is a visual poem about loss, fragmented memory, and transcendental womanhood. Captured on 16mm, this short, experimental film speaks through the contemplative reflections of a girl mourning her grandmother. We travel with her on a physical journey that mirrors the stages of grief and the cycle of life after death. Surrounding her in nature and lingering in the objects and clothes that are left behind, she wonders if our artifacts grant us all something close to an eternal life.

For Billie and Nico, life with their father is a roller-coaster ride of playfulness and unease. When he is in the grip of alcohol, tears flow and their apparently idyllic family life collapses. Their mostly absent and irresponsible mother is not much help either. But their friendship with Malik, a boy of Billie’s age, frees them from their shackles. Together they embark on a journey full of intense moments of freedom. The colourful, emotional world of the three young people is depicted in kaleidoscopic black and white imagery, which opens space for their own notions of childhood. Alexandre Rockwell's tale portrays a profound sense of solidarity and deep love: for cinema and Billie Holiday, and also for risk and adventure.