✨ NEW EPISODE ✨ Hi everyone, Aylin here, with a new episode featuring a conversation with Pablo Álvarez Mesa about his film, The Soldier’s Lagoon (2024), which received the Docs in Orbit Invitation Award at Cannes Docs last year.
The Soldier’s Lagoon is a strikingly beautiful and multi-layered piece centered on the Colombian páramo region. The film delves into the land’s history, encompassing Bolívar’s political legacy, colonialism, and the presence of armed groups, shedding light on how past conflicts persistently impact both the land and its people. Additionally, it addresses the urgent environmental issue of ecosystem preservation, which has become even more pressing this year due to an unprecedented wildfire season that has devastated the páramo. As a result, The Soldier’s Lagoon already feels like an archive—a part of the region’s historical fabric.
Blending evocative and mystical elements, Álvarez Mesa unveils the unseen, emotionally connecting us to the páramo’s past, present, and speculated future. In this conversation, we delve into these themes as well as the director’s artistic process.
La Laguna del Soldado is premiering at @cinemadureel and will soon be featured at @hotdocs_ , @opencitydocs , @ficcifestival , and many others, so stay tuned for updates on where you can catch it!
Special thanks to @palvarezmesa for this conversation, to @pranavanarp and @christina_agatha1 for co-producing this episode, and to @cannes.docs and @mdf_cannes for welcoming us 🤗
✨ Exciting news!✨ We have partnered with the good people from #CannesDocs at the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes to publish a selection of filmmaker talks and panel discussions hosted by the Documentary Association of Europe to make the richness of their offerings available to you through the Docs in Orbit podcast!
And to kick off the collaboration, we sat with the head of Cannes Docs, Pierre-Alexis Chevit, and Cannes Docs coordinator, Babette Dieu, to hear about the thoughtful planning for this year’s event. You can hear this conversation free on our website and across several platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcast. (Links in comments!)
And stay tuned for more in the coming days! ✨
✨ Exciting news!✨ We have partnered with the good people from #CannesDocs at the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes to publish a selection of filmmaker talks and panel discussions hosted by the Documentary Association of Europe to make the richness of their offerings available to you through the Docs in Orbit podcast!
And to kick off the collaboration, we sat with the head of Cannes Docs, Pierre-Alexis Chevit, and Cannes Docs coordinator, Babette Dieu, to hear about the thoughtful planning for this year’s event. You can hear this conversation free on our website and across several platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcast. (Links in comments!)
And stay tuned for more in the coming days! ✨
The festival may have come to a close, but many of the films continue to stir something inside us. And so, with a bit of nostalgia for the beautiful time we spent together @visionsdureel - we collected voice memos from people we met at the festival, asking each to share their thoughts about a film they encountered. You can hear this mosaic of impressions on the @docsinorbit podcast (🔗in bio), on our website, and across all podcast platforms like Apple and Spotify. Hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as we enjoyed putting it together! With a shared love for cinema, the Docs in Orbit team.
With over 160 films in the lineup, 82 of which are world premieres, planning a viewing schedule for Visions du Réel is no small effort. To get through the task of putting together a viewing schedule, we’ve assembled a small study group of three Docs in Orbit contributors from different parts of the world, each with their distinct affinities to examine the program. Together, they carefully combed through each section, watched all the available trailers, and researched new films that intrigued them. And, since they went through this process, they figured it might be nice to share it with others who might find it helpful.
With a shared love for cinema,
Aylin Gökmen, Hosein Jalilvand, Christina Zachariades
🌱Spring has arrived, and every April for the past three years, we’ve spent the beginnings of the new season by the luminous shores of Lake Geneva in the small town of Nyon, Switzerland, surrounded by vineyards, crisp air, and the fresh crop of films @visionsdureel .
This year’s lineup has energized us again, with over 160 films, 82 of which are world premieres. To prepare for the festival, we sat (virtually) with Emilie Bujès (@emiliebujes ), the festival’s artistic director, to hear about how this year’s program came together. And in true podcast style, we recorded the conversation to share with you.
So, if you are headed to Nyon and need something to listen to while you pack your socks or wait in a line, you can find the podcast on any of your favorite apps (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, etc.,) as well as on our website, docsinorbit.com (🔗 in bio!) There, you’ll also find some additional goodies that we will post soon, like our screening schedule for the festival and conversations with filmmakers. See you in the screening rooms! ✨
New Episode ✨Featuring a conversation with Eric Hynes @eshynes , the Curator of Film @movingimagenyc , about this year’s First Look festival, the museums annual showcase of new and innovative international cinema. This year’s event will take place March 15 - 19th and includes more than 30 works from all over the world.
We had the pleasure to sit with Eric last week to hear more about his journey into film criticism and programming, the important role the museum serves for New York City, and insight into some of the films that will be on display in this year’s edition of First Look.
The episode is available free to listen Apple Podcast, Spotify and all the rest. 🔗 in bio! ✨
✨NEW EPISODE ✨ Last week brought the close of IDFA and this year’s edition felt monumental - not only for the sheer number of films on display but also for the necessary and thought-provoking discussions that were platformed - including an examination of the growing prosecution and incarceration of filmmakers around the world, and a critical examination of the power dynamics inherent in film festivals designed around exclusivity and competition.
It was an impressive offering that gave air to many meaningful exchanges - including our latest episode featuring a conversation with Orwa Nyrabia, the artistic director of IDFA, who was gracious enough to sit with us for a chat to discuss this year’s festival experience and unpack some of the ideas and notions that were pushed to the foreground.
We hope you enjoy this episode! It is available free across several platforms (Spotify / Apple Podcasts / etc.) and on our website. https://www.docsinorbit.com/idfa2022
✨NEW EPISODE ✨ Last week brought the close of @idfafestival and this year’s edition felt monumental. Not only for the sheer number of films on display but also for the necessary and thought provoking discussions that were platformed - including an examination of the growing prosecution and incarceration of filmmakers around the world, and a critical examination of the power dynamics inherent in film festivals designed around exclusivity and competition. All said, it was an impressive offering that gave air to many meaningful exchanges.
Including our latest episode with @orwa.nyrabia , the artistic director of IDFA, who was gracious enough to sit with us for a chat to discuss this year’s festival experience and unpack some of the ideas and notions that were pushed to the foreground. We hope you enjoy this episode!
It is available free across several platforms (spotify / apple podcasts / etc.) and on website (🔗 in bio).
The 25th anniversary of @ridm_festival opens tomorrow with REWIND & PLAY by Alain Gomis. And for this occasion, we are honored to bring you a new podcast episode featuring a conversation between Alain Gomis and Nnenna Onuoha.
REWIND & PLAY follows American jazz pianist Thelonius Monk on a 1969 trip to Paris where he appeared on the French TV show to give an interview. Composed entirely from the recovered rushes left on the cutting room floor of this single event, the film unravels complex subjects including the media’s objectification of Monk’s celebrity, and its simultaneous refusal to recognize his full humanity.
In the conversation, @nnennaon speaks with Alain Gomis about his interest in Thelonius Monk and how he handled the challenges of representation in the making of this film.
Full episode is available free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and docsinorbit.com
✨ NEW EPISODE✨ just in time as you fold your socks, pack your bag, and make your way to Amsterdam. For this years Docs in Orbit x IDFA watch list, we invited Wouter Jansen [@somewouter ] from Square Eyes to go through nearly every section of their robust programming to curate a watch list of films not to miss. We cover over 20 films that will be on offer and many of which will be World Premieres.
It was an energizing way to prepare for the festival! We hope you enjoy this episode and that its helpful as you navigate the festival, and we are looking forward to seeing you in the cinemas and discovering films together @idfafestival ✨
✨NEW EPISODE ✨ IT IS NIGHT IN AMERICA (2022) by @___anavaz___ is a spellbinding film that comes to @viennale_official wielding a strong energetic power that, no doubt, will transfix spectators and provoke reflection on the visible and subjective effects of colonialism.
To hear Ana speak about her artistic process is as affecting as experiencing her work.
Here is just a small excerpt, but you can hear the full conversation on the podcast (🔗in bio).
Facilitating this spirit filled exchange is @zainabseiso , a filmmaker and curator working primarily in documentary and experimental cinema. ✨
We hope you enjoy listening (and also perhaps experiment with making films with your feet 🐾)
Docs in Orbit x CIFF 2022
We are delighted to kick off this year’s fall film festival season in the cozy atmosphere of mid-coast Maine at the Camden International Film Festival ✨
But before making our way to there, we had the pleasure to sit with the Senior Programmer, Milton Guillén, to go through this year’s slate of films and some of the exciting Points North Forum events that will be on offer.
You can listen to the full episode everywhere you get podcasts and also on our website www.docsinorbit.com/ciff2022
And stay tuned for more filmmaker episodes coming soon ✨
✨NEW EPISODE!🎧 We are headed to the Sarajevo Film Festival. Before making our way to the event, Docs in Orbit sat with the Rada Šešić to discuss the festivals' origins in cultural protest and some of the films included in this year's incredible collection of films in the Documentary Competition program which include 22 films, 8 of which are world premieres.
You can hear our conversation across all podcast platforms and on docsinorbit.com where you can also see our curated watch list!
See you in the cinema! 🇧🇦✨
Sarajevo Film Festival kroz godine
✨New Episode ✨ Featuring a conversation with Shaunak Sen about his most recent film ALL THAT BREATHES. We are deeply grateful to have encountered this stunning film and to @shaunak_sen for sitting with us to discuss the many resonances that are transmitted though this film. Our full conversation is available (everywhere you listen to podcasts and 🔗in bio) where you can hear more about the creative process behind making this film, as well as the ecological philosophies that underpin this stunning film.
Special thanks to @ekanekko for collaborating on the research and production of this episode.
ALL THAT BREATHES had its world premiere @sundanceorg where it won the Grand Jury Prize in World Cinema Documentary Competition and is currently part of the Special Screenings section @festivaldecannes 🕊
✨New Episode✨ We are thrilled to bring you this conversation with with Jacquelyn Mills about her most recent film GEOGRAPHIES OF SOLITUDE where she shares with us generous insight into her intuitive and collaborative approach to filmmaking and the different ways she worked with her surroundings while making this film - including eco-friendly hand processing techniques like using plant emulsion, exposing parts of the film in moonlight and starlight, and placing specimens from Sable Island on film stock.
We hope you enjoy this episode. As always, you can find it on our website docsinorbit.com & everywhere else you listen to podcasts.
Special thanks to Sean Van Wert in Toronto for facilitating this heartfelt dialogue and to, Berlinale - Berlin International Film Festival, Art of the Real Film at Lincoln Center, and Hot Docs for bringing us this film.✨
✨New Episode✨We are thrilled to bring you this conversation with with Jacquelyn Mills about her most recent film GEOGRAPHIES OF SOLITUDE where she shares with us generous insight into her intuitive and collaborative approach to filmmaking and the different ways she worked with her surroundings while making this film - including eco-friendly hand processing techniques like using plant emulsion, exposing parts of the film in moonlight and starlight, and placing specimens from Sable Island on film stock.
We hope you enjoy this episode. As always, you can find it on our website docsinorbit.com & everywhere else you listen to podcasts.
Special thanks to Sean Van Wert in Toronto for facilitating this heartfelt dialogue and to, the Berlinale, Art of the Real, and Hot Docs for bringing us this film.
✨New Episode✨ We are thrilled to bring you this conversation with with Jacquelyn Mills about her most recent film @geographiesofsolitude GEOGRAPHIES OF SOLITUDE where she shares with us generous insight into her intuitive and collaborative approach to filmmaking and the different ways she worked with her surroundings while making this film - including eco-friendly hand processing techniques like using plant emulsion, exposing parts of the film in moonlight and starlight, and placing specimens from Sable Island on film stock.
We hope you enjoy this episode. As always, you can find it on our website docsinorbit.com & everywhere else you listen to podcasts.
Special thanks to Sean Van Wert in Toronto for facilitating this heartfelt dialogue and to @berlinaleforum , Art of the Real @filmlinc , and @hotdocs_ Docs for bringing this film into our orbit 💫
✨New Episode ✨ Visions du Réel might have come to a close, but many of the films have continued to stay with us. So we decided to invite Inge Coolsaet and Jordan Cronk onto the podcast - two film critics whose work we adore and had the chance to meet at the festival, to exchange thoughts on some of the standout films they discovered at this year's festival.
@christina_agatha1 moderated the discussion. Films discussed include: FORAGERS, ROJEK, INNER LINES and L’ÎLOT. We also couldn’t help but touch on films from Marco Bellocchio and Hassen Ferhani @hassen.ferhani who each had retrospectives at the festival.
We hope you enjoy this recap episode which is available on our website (🔗 in bio) and across all podcast platforms. 🎧💫
#vdr2022
✨NEW EPISODE✨ featuring a conversation with Diem Ha Le @ha.lediem about her impressive debut feature film, CHILDREN OF THE MIST, which just had its Swiss premiere in the Grand Angle section @visionsdureel . The episode is moderated by Venice Atienza, whose film LAST DAYS AT SEA also captures the fragility of childhood through cinema and was invited to screen last year in the same section. You can hear their beautiful dialogue on our podcast where Diem shares insight into the making of this film and how she was able to translate the complicated relationships and situations that were unfolding in front of her into cinema.
@ha.lediem @venice_dca #childrenofthemist #catndocs @varanvietnam #visionsdureel #vdr2022 #idfa #documentary #filmfestival #vietnam #dmzindustry #hotdocscrosscurrents #sundancedocumentaryfund #docsinorbit
