VTIFF Program-Guide 2023 - Flipbook - Page 18
FILMS A TO Z
GOODBYE JULIA
HERE
HUMMINGBIRDS
Directed by Mohamed Kordofani
Sudan | 2023 | Fiction | 116 min | Arabic w/subtitles
Directed by Bas Devos
Belgium | 2023 | Fiction | 84 min | French, Mandarin,
Romanian w/subtitles
Directed by Silvia Del Carmen Castanos, Estefania “Beba”
Contreras
USA | 2023 | Documentary) | 78 min | English, Spanish w/
subtitles
Film Source: Ambient Light Film
Sponsored by: Glenn Eames, to honor Mary Manghis
Film Source: Cinema Guild
Sponsored by: Ryan Chartier and Charles Kahn
SHOWTIMES
MONDAY, OCT 23 | 4 PM | BB
SATURDAY, OCT 28 | 1:30 PM | BB
SHOWTIMES
MONDAY, OCT 23 | 4:15 PM | FH
Winner of the Freedom Prize at Cannes’ un Certain Regard,
this striking debut feature from Sudanese filmmaker
Mohamed Kordofani deftly balances the personal and
political, keeping the characters front and center while
illuminating how political strife can make enemies from
friends. Taking place just prior to the 2011 secession of
South Sudan, Goodbye Julia tells the story of Mona, a
young Northern Sudanese woman in a tense marriage,
whose actions lead to the murder of a South Sudanese
man, a crime for which the only repercussions are the
rumblings of Mona’s conscience. In an attempt to make
amends, she becomes friends with the victim’s widow, but,
inevitably, the country’s political turmoil forces a personal
reckoning. Don’t come late: more happens in the first 13
minutes of this film than happens in a lot of doublefeatures. ~SM
VENUES
18
Film Source: Jillian Schlesinger (producer)
Sponsored by: Anna Blackmer
SHOWTIMES
SUNDAY, OCT 22 | 2:30 PM | BB
In Brussels, a Romanian construction worker (Stefan Gota)
cooks soup, then meets a Chinese doctoral student (Liyo
Gong) who studies moss. As these two slowly move towards
each other, the film develops its own dreamy logic in place
of a traditional narrative. For director Bas Devos, it’s not
words that carry meaning; it’s everything else. Beautifully
observed, with striking photography (Grimm
Vandekerckhove) and an intricate sound design (Boris
Debackere), Here is a deeply immersive cinematic
experience. As Manhola Dargis said in The New York Times,
“Not much happens, except that everything does.” Or as
VTIFF programmer Travis Weedon put it, “If you can be
present to the gentle movement and minute observations
of Here, miracles are possible.” ~SM
*** Preceded by Pedro Costa’s magnificent 8-minute short
Daughters of Fire (As Filhas do Fogo). Set against the
backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean island of Cape Verde, the
film follows three sisters who are separated by the eruption
of the local Fogo Volcano. ***
FH: FILM HOUSE
BB: BLACK BOX THEATER
UVM RECITAL HALL
AT REDSTONE CAMPUS
All at Main Street Landing
Performing Arts Center, Burlington
384 South Prospect Street
Burlington
Silvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía “Beba”
Contreras are both the directors and subjects of the playful
documentary Hummingbirds, which chronicles a summer
of singalongs, hangouts, activism, bar-hopping and lots of
goofing around in the border town of Laredo, Texas. The
solidarity between the two friends – who were 18 and 21,
respectively, when the film was shot in the summer of
2019 – is palpable and real, and the movie is joyous mostly
because it’s just so damn fun to hang out with these two.
There’s a melancholy undertow at work here, too, with
plenty of introspection to go along with the hijinx, as Silvia
deals with the immigration process, and the two of them
confront the stresses ahead of future adulthood.
Ultimately, the film is a testament to the power of true
friendship in facing an uncertain world. ~SM
THE ESSEX RESORT & SPA
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Essex
VTIFF.ORG | VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2023
