The 62nd Ann Arbor Film Festival will take place March 26–31, 2024 (online March 26–April 7). Each program is different. Films are not rated. All programs are intended for mature audiences except for Saturday’s Almost All Ages (6+) program. Some films have imagery of a stroboscopic nature.
EDUCATION PARTNER U-M Department of Afroamerican and African Studies
COMMUNITY PARTNERS U-M Black Film Society African American Cultural and Historical Museum of Washtenaw County
DONOR Jackie & John Farah
Contractions Lynne Sachs Brooklyn, NY | 2024 | DCP
WORLD PREMIERE (online unavailable)
In 2022, the US Supreme Court ended a woman’s right to a safe and legal abortion in the United States. In a place where a woman can no longer make decisions about her own body, a group of activist performers “speak” with the full force of their collective presence.
With cinema as a focal point, Ragtag Film Society exists to captivate and engage communities in immersive arts experiences that explore assumptions and elicit shared joy, wonder, and introspection.
Embedded within this program are an array of storytelling approaches and diverse techniques, each offering a distinct lens through which to explore the themes of identity, community, and human connection. As this program unfolds, the films interweave these themes into a rich tapestry of narratives, inviting us to delve into the intricacies of the human experience. From the movements of experimental choreography to the vibrant art strokes that animate the frame, and the immersive worlds of fictional reenactments, these films showcase a spectrum of creative expressions, each contributing to the multifaceted exploration of our shared humanity. (Eynar Pineda, Artistic Co-Director)
Amma ki Katha | Dir. Nehal Vyas; 2023; India, USA; 21 min A creative and incisive look at how history is written and rewritten as a filmmaker unpacks the myth-making of her homeland, India.
L’Esquisse | Dir. Tomas Cali; 2023; France; 9 min Animated strokes blend with live-action, when an immigrant artist encounters a new muse who helps them make meaning in a new country.
Four Holes | Dir. Daniela Muñoz Barroso; 2023; Cuba, France; 20 min Filmmaker and subject find common ground in this humorous portrait of Pepe, the mastermind behind a DIY golf course on the outskirts of Madrid.
Two Sun | Dir. Blair Barnes; 2024; USA; 5 min A mood piece with its own rhythm, this evocative film explores the relationship to the self and our ever-evolving understanding of identity.
Contractions | Dir. Lynne Sachs; 2024; USA; 12 min Intimate confessions, paired with experimental choreography outside a woman’s clinic in Memphis, offer a glimpse into post Roe v. Wade America. (Plays in Shorts: Impossible Solution)
Producers Emily Berisso and Laura Goodman and Editor Anthony Svatek with Lynne Sachs at the Premiere of Contractions at True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri.
The COSMIC RAYS FILM FESTIVAL is an annual celebration of short films that expand our idea of what film is and what it can be.
The Festival presents several programs of short films made by filmmakers from North Carolina and around the world that are formally inventive; speak with a personal voice; and are inspired by the possibilities of film as art.
PROGRAM 4: WE’LL GO DOWN IN THE ABYSS IN SILENCE
Rituals to ward off the demons or lead us through the abyss. Incantations in the face of dropped frames and radioactivity. If the choice is between love or religion, what are you waiting for?
Ashes of Rose Sasha Waters, 2023 RT: 11:30 minutes
Her Backyard / My Front Window Billy Palumbo, 2023 RT: 3:36 minutes
Hey Sweet Pea Alee Peoples, 2023 RT: 4:08 minutes
Three Mystics Ioanna Filippopoulou, 2023 RT: 8:34 minutes
We’ll Go Down The Abyss in Silence Vincent Guilbert, 2023 RT: 11:00 minutes
Evocation Richard Ashrowan, 2023 RT: 3:22 minutes
Otherhood Deborah Stratman, 2023 RT: 3:00minutes
Poem For Three Voices Lan Anh Chu, 2023 RT: 02:44 minutes
We’d love to regale you with faerie tales of how things all came together, on time (ahead of time, even), how all we really did was make a few phone calls, watch a few films, and a festival just materialized.
But we’d be lying.
Rather, ours is more of a cautionary tale: a tempest-tossed sea filled with missed classes, empty gallons of midnight oil, and countless abandoned bodies in our wake. Yet somewhere, in the debris of our madness, from the ashes rose the phoenix of this week’s festival, which we proudly present to you. Pay no attention to the trio of lunatics who linger in the shadows, turn your eyes to the screen. These shows are for you: the audience, the filmmakers, the world.