2024 Archives - Belize International Film Festival

Perry and Linda are deeply in love with each other and are content with their quiet life. They lived in a small, peaceful community until some mysterious strangers invaded their community. In pain, sorrow and disbelief, Perry found himself in a totally strange land, far away from his soulmate. Their lives were turned upside down.

Dir. Akley Olton
St. Vincent & the Grenadines, 2023 | 22 min | Social-Historical | Language w/ English Subtitles / Rated: | Central American/Belize Premiere

Madulu, The Seaman is a lyrical documentary that attempts to preserve the rich history of a dying tradition in the wake of the economic struggle at the hand of the tourism industry. Interweaving documentary footage with animated sequences of young Amari’s drawings, the film uses a touch of magical realism to explore the divide between past and present and new interpretations of old traditions.

This feature film is an eco-friendly production that focuses on dementia, culture, and Rianna’s personal journey in creating an impact in the lives of older people in Dominica after the passing of her grandfather with dementia in Dominica. Living well in a cultural context is something the film highlights. Creating a realistic as well as a positive approach to older people in the media. Rianna explores holistic treatments for dementia and engages in traditional experiences in a quest to understand the recipe for the meaning of quality of life.

An end of day on a rooftop terrace. Anissa has invited her mother to Paris to spend a weekend together. But their reunion doesn’t go quite as planned.

Dir. Derek Hyde Jr.
USA, 2024 | 14 min | Sports-Lifestyle | English | Rated PG

Oscar Quiroz is a Belizean cyclist who rides for the American professional team, Miami Blazers. He speaks on how he started his career merely with a mountain bike. He also elaborates on his joys outside of cycling, which include, but aren’t limited to, eating, traveling, spending time with his wife, and gaming. These joys are comparable to his love of cycling, but he once feared cycling being taken from him due to an injury he thankfully recovered from. Now, he promises to his fans that he will perform even better. His successes are attributed to his extraordinary cycling abilities and the sponsors and supporters who helped get him to where he is now.

Based on iconographic images and fragments of Nicaraguan cinema, this documentary tells us the birth and development of our cinematography, the revolutionary process, the creation of the first film institute in
the country (INCINE), the pioneers and representative productions and co-productions, ending with the emergence of independent cinema.

NOT IN COMPETITION

Manting, a Chinese woman in her early 60s, reconnects with the lesbian lover from her adolescence when one of her old classmates passes away. After a classmates’ reunion event in a karaoke bar, they spend a night together, roaming in the city.

Rich in nature’s benefits from land to sea, Belize has risen as a leader in developing with people and planet in mind. Learn how local community and government collaborations with the Natural Capital Project over the last decade have fostered new approaches that integrate nature to build a prosperous future.

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Tomer Heymann’s latest film is a deeply emotional work that follows an outcast teenager’s life-changing journey. Oren was adopted from Guatemala by an Israeli family when he was a baby. Long unable to find his place in society, the teenager has been subject to ridicule because of his communication difficulties, while at the same time dealing with recurring false diagnoses of mental illness. Oren decides to take up a small video camera and document his own life. He embarks on a quest back to the country of his birth to seek out his biological family in the hopes of better defining his own identity.

NOT IN COMPETITION

Dir. Mark Moneda
(Philippines, 2024) 15 min 56 Sec / social / Ilocano, Tagalog, English w/ English Subtitles / Rated: PG (Belize Premiere)

The story of “Open Time” is set during the early days of the Drug War Campaign in the Philippines. It revolves around Ponga, a homeless, illiterate teenager who sells floor mats made of fabric scraps during the day and balut (duck embryo) at night. He sleeps anywhere, spending most of his time in a computer shop, watching game tournaments of four alpha student gamers. He serves as the middle man for the prizes and rewards won by betting from one computer shop to another. Hence, Mang Jex, the owner of the internet café, sometimes allows him to sleep right outside the shop to keep an eye on the surroundings. Ponga’s life took a total turn all of a sudden after intentionally barging in on a tournament that surprisingly helped the jocks win. After the four alpha gamers discovered his hidden skill, they immediately gave him a spot on their team. Ponga, being the unexpected leader of the squad, was then given access to a world where hierarchy, inequality, and injustice exist.

ROHI is a powerful documentary that sheds light on the challenges faced by 0.2 million people living in the Cholistan Desert, due to climate change, health issues, and water and sanitation problems. The documentary serves as a reminder of the urgent need to address these issues and to take action towards sustainable development. It is essential to recognize the importance of preserving the environment and protecting the health and well-being of all individuals, regardless of where they live. As we continue to face global challenges such as climate change, we must work together to find solutions and ensure a better future for all. ROHI provides a powerful call to action for us to address these issues and make a positive impact on our planet and its inhabitants.

Dir. Marialejandra Martin
(Venezuela, 2022) 13min 39 Sec / Drama / Spanish-Italian w/ English Subtitles / Rated: PG (Belize Premiere)

Gioia returns home for her grandfather’s funeral, having fled when she realized she would never be part of the family business, which had been run by him until then. But now that her grandfather is dead, she makes the women of the family understand that they must unite and take the spaces that belong to them. Together they will take control of the family business, where these women now have their place.

This documentary shines a light on the struggles faced by Antwiadjeikrom in western Ghana and its surrounding communities. It is a story of determination and resilience as students embark on a perilous journey across River Bia just to access education. Unfortunately, the price for the journey across the river has discouraged many parents from sending their children to the only school in the community. Now, the people of Antwiadjeikrom are reaching out for support to build a bridge, which they believe will pave the way for easier access to education. It’s a powerful and urgent call for help that deserves to be heard.

The film portrays the obstacles faced by asylum seekers and refugees in European countries, who are systematically criminalized by Western media and migration policies, in their never-ending struggle to obtain international protection and the right to asylum.
Forcibly displaced persons suffer exclusion, deprivation of liberty, precariousness, exploitation, medical neglect, hunger, racism and survive in uncertainty, in a legal limbo that prevents them from having security, the right to work, decent housing and food.

In an alternate reality Fiji where tradition and culture was never eroded by colonialism, a new Drua (ship) is about to be put to sea and will demand a steep toll for the final stage of its launch.

As a way to honor the process of hormonal transition, 30 Needles (A Letter to the Past) is a journey and reflection on a transmasculine person’s first year on testosterone.

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