2024 Archives - Belize International Film Festival

Torn between love and faith, a monk goes on a pilgrimage looking for a sign.

ART: By Any Means Necessary is a groundbreaking exploration of freedom through the interconnected stories of two Caribbean art institutions. In Haiti, former graduates turned custodians of their famed film school have been entrusted with upholding the vision of the Artists Institute, established and nurtured over two decades by an American filmmaker and philanthropist before his departure.

Fito has a very ordinary life. One night, something makes him very angry. A revealing dream will make him take a different approach to life.

This film introduces Kien-On Zhang, a master craftsman, who makes Hakka lion heads. Master Zhang started learning lion dance when he was 17 years old. Now almost in his 80s, he still participates in tours and teaches classes on making Hakka lion heads and performing lion dances, hoping to pass down this culture so that more and more people will want to continue and promote it.

Part narrative performance film, part documentary, A LITTLE HOPE FOR CHICAGO is a walk through the life of a Chicago hustler, narrowly avoiding the devastating consequences of death and incarceration, as he reflects on the systemic root causes of the violence and trauma that consume youth in urban centers like Chicago.

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

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