Freed (Baltringue)

Dir. Josza Anjembé, France, 2019, 20 min
With Alassane Diong, Yoan Zimmer,
In French with English subtitles

In this short film, 20-year-old Issa is about to get out of jail when he becomes intrigued by Gaëtan, a convict starting his own sentence. With subtlety and delicacy, Freed tackles the topic of homosexuality in the prison world.

• About Josza Anjembe
  • She is a French journalist, screenwriter, and filmmaker of Cameroonian descent. She started her career as a reporter for French TV channels; her first short film, The Blue White Red of My Hair (2016), was a selection at nearly 200 film festivals. In addition to directing films, she has served on numerous festival juries (including the Paris Virtual Film Festival), and works as a teacher and educator.

So What If the Goats Die (Qu'importe si les bêtes meurent)

New York Premiere

Dir. Sofia Alaoui, France, Morocco, 2019, 23 min
With Fouad Oughaou, Saïd Oughaou, Oumaïma Oughaou,
In Berber with English subtitles

High in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, young shepherd Abdellah and his father are snowed in with their animals. When Abdellah can finally reach the nearest village for supplies, he finds it abandoned. Dumbstruck, he will soon find out the extraordinary reasons why the inhabitants left.

• About Sofia Alaoui
  • She spent her childhood in her native Morocco and elsewhere in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. She has directed short documentaries and fictional films that cross borders and cinematographic genres; her work has been screened at numerous festivals as well as Moroccan television. She is currently developing her first feature film, a story about a female character from the Atlas Mountains.

Blooming Dalia (Fatale Orientale)

US Premiere

Dir. Holy Fatma, France, 2020, 23 min
With Farah Kassabeh, Corinne Valancogne, Maia Edard, Farida Ouchani
In French with English subtitles

Dalia, a washed-up reality-TV starlet, is struggling with depression and weight issues. Mixing comedy and phantasmagoria, filmmaker Holy Fatma paints a portrait of a young adult torn between Algerian traditions and reality-TV culture—and ultimately allows her protagonist to find her own way.

• About Holy Fatma
  • She lives in Paris, where she acts, directs, and works as a photographer. She studied cinema in Rome before working as a production assistant and a set designer in Hollywood. Back in France, after directing Règlement de Conte through the auspices of the 1000 Visages foundation—founded by César-winning director Houda Benyamina (Divines)—Fatma received recognition for her short film Please Love Me Forever. Her influences range from Tim Burton to Frida Kahlo.