Geneva Film Festival –
26e Black Movie: a very political edition
During its annual press conference, the Black Movie festival unveiled its extensive programming.
Published today at 6:15 p.m.
Maria Watzlawick, artistic director of the Black Movie festival, before the presentation of the program of the 26e edition of the international independent film festival, during a press conference this Tuesday, January 7, 2025.
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It is against a background of film music that the programming of the 26e edition of the international independent film festival Black Movie was unveiled Tuesday morning, in the Function: Cinema room. The least we can say is that there will be plenty to see among the 114 films broadcast between January 17 and 26. This year more than ever, the festival team focused on offering a very political edition, as Maria Watzlawick, artistic director, explains.
“The year 2025 begins for better and for worse, cinema must therefore be a reflection of this dissonant world, in which freedoms are trampled. This rise in extremism still gives rise to courage and poetry, as a form of resistance.”
Cinema against a backdrop of conflict
Through these words, the first works presented therefore endeavor to illustrate the horrors of the war in Ukraine, with “Song of Slow Burning Earth” (Olha Zhurba) to discuss the stagnation of the conflict, but also the situation at hand. Gaza, with the resumption of “From Ground Zero” (project launched by Rashid Masharawi), i.e. around twenty short films filmed on site since October 7, 2023. The opportunity to specify that this latest work is preselected for the 2025 Oscars in the best foreign film category.
The stagnation of the war in Ukraine will be discussed in the film “Song of Slow Burning Earth”.
DR
A Swiss exclusive, the “Photo Khegam of Gaza: Unboxing” exhibition will occupy the Kugler Foundry from January 15. On this occasion, MEP Rima Hassan will be present for a discussion on January 25.
The realities of Iran will also be deciphered in the very promising documentary “My Stolen Planet” (Farahnaz Sharifi), which offers insight into the evolution of women’s rights in the country, supported by archive images.
The film “My Stolen Planet” looks at the evolution of women’s rights in Iran, using archive footage.
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The (re)discovery of Nollywood
An important focus will be devoted to Nigeria, 2e global country in terms of film production, second only to Bollywood. Three social films will be screened for this purpose. With more than 2,000 films per year, the African country will also be at the center of a round table on January 22, simply titled “Discover Nollywood”.
As in previous years, the “to be continued” section, which brings together each year the latest works of the festival’s emblematic directors, will be there. The opportunity to watch “Caught by the Tides”, by Jia Zhangke, selected in competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, or “La Libertad de Fierro”, by Mexican director Santiago Esteinou.
This latest documentary will focus on the unexpected release of César Fierro, who must relearn how to live in society after spending forty years on a Texan death row. Esteinou dedicated a documentary to the prisoner ten years ago. He therefore found it to accompany him during his exit into a world where almost everything escapes him, from technological advances to simple everyday habits.
Chinese director Wang Bing will also present the last two parts of his “textile chronicle”, “Youth”, a gripping dive into the individual stories of certain young workers in China’s textile workshops, where around 300,000 people work.
Tributes and sleepless nights
This year, and from a more retrospective point of view, it is the career of Japanese actor Tatsuya Fuji who will also be in the spotlight during five screenings, including the cult “PPRider” by Shinji Somai , released in 1983.
The film “PP Rider” will be screened as part of a tribute to actor Tatsuya Fuji.
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In addition, parents can count on the Petit Black Movie to keep their children occupied through a program and activities designed for this purpose, such as sound recording workshops and screenings of short films. Conversely, the festival offers the Little Black Movie for adults, a section not for all eyes that will screen the film “El Jockey” by Luis Ortega.
Finally, the all-nighters of the festival will punctuate the after-sessions in the Groove room at the Junction.
Andrea Di Guardo has been a journalist at the Tribune de Genève since March 2024. Attached to the cultural section, he is also interested in local and international subjects. He holds a Master’s degree in journalism and communication and a Bachelor’s degree in political science.More info
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