On 30 November, the Artsvit Gallery will host the debut offline screening of the Filmia Feminist Film Festival, which has been held online for the third year in a row. The Film Festival was founded in 2021 by a group of activists and members of grassroots queer-feminist associations as a common platform for films that adhere to the principles of intersectional feminism, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, inclusion, and consent culture.
The film programme includes short films from this year's festival programmes: The Art of Healing, which brings together films about traumatic experiences, paths to healing and finding strength; and ‘There is an Address,’ which focuses on the struggle of marginalised communities and activists for the right to housing and a just city. One of the films in the programme, ‘Mast-del’ by Iranian director Maryam Tafakori, will only be available for offline viewing.
All films will be shown in their original language with extended Ukrainian subtitles (SDH). More festival films will be available to watch for free on the Films website until 10 December inclusive.
After the screening, viewers will have the opportunity to discuss the films with Geo, co-organiser of the Film Festival. The discussion will be moderated by activist and friend of the festival Marina Gaba.
WHEN: 30 November, at 18:30
WHERE: Artsvit Gallery, Dnipro, 21a Krutohirnyy Uzviz. Entrance through the glass sliding doors from the side of Uspenska Square
Admission is free!
Screening programme:
Botanical Documentation of Existence
Director: Daria Tsymbalyuk
Ukraine, 5 minutes, 2023, video essay
The film contains: description of death
Synopsis: My mum and I have always been close. This video essay is based on our conversations and my mum's photos from Kyiv, which she sent me on WhatsApp after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. War cuts deep into everyday life and close relationships, distorting the familiar. Resisting this violence, my mother clings to life and listens carefully to its various manifestations, and I listen to her.
Mast-del
Director: Maryam Tafakori
Iran, United Kingdom, 17 minutes, 2023, experimental documentary film
The film contains descriptions of violence.
The film will only be shown offline.
Synopsis: Two women in bed. The wind knocks on the window, bringing back memories of a past encounter. A love song that would never pass censorship, Mast-del tells of forbidden bodies and desires, both inside and outside post-revolutionary Iranian cinema.
Tell Me a Poem
Original title: Spune o poezie
Authors: Elena Chirila, Ana Gurdish
Romania, 11 minutes, 2023, experimental film
The film contains: descriptions of domestic violence, abuse, suicide attempts
Synopsis: Excerpts from a personal diary, marking milestones on the path from childhood to adulthood, accompany the audience on a journey filled with doubt, helplessness and self-doubt, ultimately leading to escape. Balancing between poetry and documentary, this video poem highlights a woman's struggle for liberation from oppression, for the return of her voice and strength.
Here is the address
Original title: This is an Address
Director: Sasha Wortzel
USA, 18 minutes, 2019, documentary
Synopsis: In these reflections on community, gentrification and destruction, Stonewall riots participant and trans activist Sylvia Rivera returns to the hub on the Hudson River pier, home to a community of HIV-positive New Yorkers, while excavators around her tear down empty buildings for new construction.
Survivor Manifesto — The Art of Making Kin
Original title: Survivor Manifesto — The Art of Making Kin
Director: Dan Dansen
Germany, 11 minutes, 2022, experimental film
Synopsis: Survivor Manifesto — The Art of Healing and Kinship is a video essay about people who have survived trauma and are building a wild vision of a utopian society. This experimental film captivates, draws you in, and leads you from despair to the ability to love yourself. Working with trauma is presented here as a refined skill. The poetic, multi-layered video sequence of journeys creates a metaphorical space where narrative and imagination merge into a unique story. Different voices are heard — people who have survived trauma talk about the community they have created and invite others to join. The viewer is encouraged to embark on an emotional journey into their own abyss. Trauma often drives people into silence and isolation, but the film affirms collectivity and the relentless nature of the healing process. Through visual imagery and music, the film conveys the restlessness characteristic of trauma. But it also shows that the transition from survival to life is full of hope: trauma survivors share their skills and ideas on how to combat violence, the art of finding one's own, and queer love.
Survivor Manifesto is a political essay that will change your view of trauma.
See the festival's online programme schedule on the festival website: www.filmafest.org
The festival runs from 27 November to 10 December 2023.
