New York Counter Film Festival, created in opposition to NYFF’s Zionist ties, enjoyed its inaguaral, radical edition. We report from the frontline.
Radical Images: The New York Counter Film Festival
Nick Kouhi
Nick Kouhi is a programmer and critic based in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mall of Us Strangers
In All, Or Nothing At All, presented in two unique, each-way versions, Jiajun Zhang captures the modern malaise of contemporary Chinese capitalism.
Malu. The Bout of the Brazilian Bohèmes.
With shades of Cassavetes, Pedro Freire’s Brazilian debut Malu is a spirited and claustrophobic homage to the influence of his chaotic mother.
Otro Sol. Only Crime Will Tell.
Francisco Rodriguez Teare’s hybrid debut Otro Sol is a creative and crafty investigation of criminal and colonial legacies — in Chile and beyond.
The Ballad of Suzanne Cesaire Rejects Conventionality in Favour of Archival Speculation
Madelaine Hunt-Ehrlich’s The Ballad of Suzanne Cesaire mounts a corrective to the surrealist’s occluded legacy through a personal essayistic structure.
The Light Provides a Fleet Danish History Lesson about the Lingering Complications of Nazi Occupation
Alexander Lind’s The Light investigates an incendiary art project that used bunkers as a metaphor for Danish collaboration during the Nazi occupation, live from Rotterdam.
Small Hours of the Night Gives Testimony to Disembodied Dissidence
Daniel Hui’s chamber piece makes the most of its limited location to provide fascinating ruminations on the reverberations of Singaporean history.
Godsterminal Remains as Empty as a Reenactment
The concluding chapter of Georg Tiller’s Gotland trilogy, Godsterminal struggles to escape from the legacy of Ingmar Bergman’s seminal works.
Radical Archeology Challenges Past and Present in Praia Formosa
Brazilian documentarian Julia De Simone’s first fiction feature imbues the past with the urgency of the present, breaking free of historical restraints.
Best Festival Films and Hidden Festival Gems 2023
Avoiding consensus for our top 2023 picks, Journey Into Cinema focuses on both the best festival films and the finest hidden gems.