07/08/2024

Each time, each place presents the same program. The Triangle Program opens with a symphony of chatter, whispering, and half-laughs in Albanian, Italian, and Spanish. This gathering of viewers from diverse backgrounds at DokuKino sets the stage for an exploration of what this program proclaims at its core: longing for political stability. As the start time of the program approaches, the symphony of voices grows louder, eventually giving way to absolute silence. The fluttering of wings fills the room. The program prompts us to consider how longing for political belonging manifests across different film festivals.

The Triangle Program is a collaboration between three festivals: DokuFest, BIEFF (Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival), and Vienna Shorts. Each festival brings film selections from their previous editions to address the theme of "Longing for Political Stability."

Samir Karahoda opens the Triangle Program with the Kosovo selection. DokuFest's selection offers a tapestry of human landscapes that reflect the identity of Prizren and, more broadly, Kosovo. Through the film selection, attendees can savor the essence of the city, embodying what DokuFest has always been about.

Films of the DokuFest’s program include My Grandfather – A Desk for Each Pupil, Hope Hotel Phantom,  Rabbitland, Letters from Silivri, Without Kosovo. These films explore themes of half-broken hearts, tainted by the evils of war, pain, and unrealized dreams, along with attempts at civil disobedience that remain unmet and unfinished due to the heavy burden of unjust political systems. In more detail, the films convey images of the past filled with longing and nostalgia, taking the form of school desks, ghosts from the past, rabbits and Evil Girls, prison letter exchanges and exile. In a way, what DokuFest offers to the Triangle project raises the question of whether the new order represents a new beginning.

Oana Ghera, the curator of the program from BIEFF’s selection was present the following day, explaining, "We tried to find ways to compose a program that reflects our perspective on the theme and identity of the festival, creating a diverse selection with specific topics." The focus is on gestures of resistance, highlighting that political stability is closely connected to how we raise our voices and resist.

For BIEFF, the theme "Longing for Political Stability" is brought through the screening of Flores del Otro Patio, I signed the petition, Inflorescence, Sensitive Content, Water and Salt, Démontable. These films depict vivid imagery that challenges the normative structures of political systems, showcasing a variety of visuals. Starting from participants playing dress-up, adorned in glitters and colors, as a form of resistance against oppressive regimes, the selection sets on a note that emphasizes themes of queerness, environmental activism, and indigeneity. Other visuals include intimate conversations bathed in the warm glow of orange light, symbolizing comfort and solidarity amidst turmoil. The juxtaposition of serene images like flowers and daylight against the sudden chaos of a thunderstorm mirrors the unpredictable nature of political upheaval. Moreover, the selection features scenes of daydreams in confined spaces, reflecting the constraints and disturbances of political unrest. On the last note, the selection blends crisis reflection with humorous and light-hearted elements, thereby challenging the grim realities of political crises with imaginative defiance.

This three part program offers insights on the sensibilities and perspectives of how different societies and different cultural setups respond to the imminent need for balance and civic regulatory norms. In the Vienna selection, presented by Vienna Shorts' Doris Bauer, the main theme remains the intersection between personal insecurities and how they are overwritten by political contexts. Speaking in a language that wants to defy the norms, yet remaining stuck in the structure that does not cease to emulate the old order of things. 

Saving Some Random Insignificant Stories presents the objects that outlive humans into display, reflecting on history and its physical eminence and how it correlates with the now meanwhile Occupied – Lobau stays! offers a more dynamic view of the history that writes itself through vocalizing and articulating worries and responses to violence. From this dichotomous pairing we go to Surfacing Images offering a more humble view of how we record the now, and the importance of content over aestheticization of testimonies and finally to Those Next to Us speaking in absences and how the void that fills time sometimes has greater and more important stories to tell. 

It is crucial to understand the power of collaboration and programming as it is a way to reflect on the now/s and how we can understand today’s needs for stability through film, as it is and has always been the north of sparking reflection, conversation and most importantly understanding the Other. 

By: Enxhi Noni

Photo: Furkan Çelik