Agenda

The work of French activist, novelist, and essayist Jean Genet was considered controversial in the forties and fifties, because of its explicit homosexuality. Genet made only one film in his entire life, but Un Chant d’amour went on to inspire both David Bowie and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. 

A ship drifts in the middle of an endless sea. Its crew of five tries to cope with boredom by escaping into a parallel world. elephantfish lures its viewers into an enclosed environment guarded by the freedom of the everlasting horizon. The only escape from this confinement comes in thoughts and dreams.

De Beule’s anecdotal documentary paints a timid but inspiring portrait of a specific place and its inhabitants. Mykines lies in the shadow of an archaeological site. The inhabitants reflect on their relationship with the ruins as visitors pass by and the stones slowly crumble beneath their feet.

There’s no way to prepare for Levi Stoops’ Drijf, and that’s a good thing. The animated filmmaker himself voices Jeremy, and Anemone Valcke plays Aurora. The naked couple is lost at sea and floats across the vast ocean on a small log.

A slideshow records the infatuation of two trans men over a one-year period. The creators collect photographs of real events: their first kiss, meeting each other's parents, a staged wedding, a medical procedure, and the accompanying recovery. The images are, at times, reminiscent of Nan Goldin’s work: raw, fragile, and exceptionally intimate.

Cul-de-Sac is not a straightforward story about skaters but reveals itself as a skateboard-inspired film. The skateboard here serves as the driving force, which urges both characters and viewers to contemplate life.