VTIFF Program-Guide 2024 - Flipbook - Page 14
FILMS A TO Z
FH: FILM HOUSE | BB: BLACK BOX THEATER | SR: SCREENING ROOM • All at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington
ETERNAL YOU
Directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck
Germany | 2024 | Documentary | 87 min | English
Sponsored by: Mark O’Berski
SHOWTIMES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 | 4:30 PM | BB
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 | 12 PM | BB
“If you had the chance to talk to a loved one who died, would you take it?” That’s the
pitch of Eternal You, the thought-provoking documentary about AI technology from
German filmmakers Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck. But that question doesn’t quite
get to the heart of the matter. What the technology on display here is really offering is an
algorithmic approximation of your loved one, and what Eternal You is investigating is the
uncanny valley between our memories and the increasingly life-like technological
representations of those who have passed away—ghosts in the machine who are
monetized by hungry startups. In this documentary, we see any number of concerning
and confusing moments in the interactions between grieving humans and imperfect
tech: using a VR simulation, a mother reunites with the young daughter she lost for the
viewing pleasure millions on national TV; a company creates a vocal filter that can say
anything you want in the voice of the deceased; the avatar in a subscription-based AI
chat program tells the user that they are stuck in hell. Eternal You is scratching at the
surface of the infinite ethical quandaries of the AI Wild West we are all now living in. ~OO
EVERY LITTLE THING
Directed by Sally Aitken
Australia | 2024 | Documentary | 93 min | English
Sponsored by: Patricia Fontaine
SHOWTIMES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 | 2 PM | FH
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 26 | 2:15 PM | BB
Amidst the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, hummingbirds fit right in. Zippy and sequined,
they are gorgeous, vibrant creatures that are gone in a flash. A heartwarming film of joy
and wonder, Every Little Thing tells the deceptively simple story of a woman in Los
Angeles, Terry Masear, who nurtures wounded hummingbirds back to health. Brought
into sharp focus through breathtaking super slow-motion photography, Every Little Thing
introduces us to many of Masear’s diminutive patients, all with individual stories,
characteristics, and personalities. This documentary is a sweet and intimate love letter
to these marvelous, fragile animals, allowing us to see them as we never have before.
The compassion that Masear shows her Lilliputian charges serves as a lesson to us all, a
reminder that in the smallest of acts, and in the tiniest beings, we might find grace. ~OO
FAR OUT: LIFE ON AND AFTER THE COMMUNE
Directed by Charles Light
USA | 2024 | Documentary | 85 min | English
Sponsored by: Bridget and Nick Meyer
SHOWTIMES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 | 1:45 PM | BB
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25 | 1:15 PM | BB
It all sounds blissful and idyllic and totally of a different era: in 1968 a group of radical
journalists leave New York City for the country, landing in Western Massachusetts and
Southern Vermont, where they set up a commune and become pioneers in back-to-theland organic farming. But what happens next? Where do the lives of these young idealists
lead? Far Out follows the long strange trip of the collective as they wage dramatic battles
over atomic power; team up with Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, and Graham Nash to
produce sold out concerts at Madison Square Garden; and band together to take up
left-wing causes of the moment. Tracing 50 years in the lives of the members, Far Out is
lively, humorous, inspiring, and irreverent. Blending contemporary interviews and a
remarkable trove of original archival footage, you meet a variety of colorful individuals
who share curiosity about politics, spirituality, and civic engagement, as well as hope for
a better life and a more compassionate world. ~OO
After the 10/19 showing of the film, there is a Q&A with director Charles Light and
participant Verandah Porche.
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VTIFF.ORG | VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2024
