THE PAST IS NOW

This year's festival motto THE PAST IS NOW thematises the constant influence of past narratives, actions and events on the present and possible futures. In the constantly growing flow of media content in which we find ourselves today, the boundaries between past and present are becoming blurred: documents - from historical archives to living memories - are viewed, organised and examined anew in a reciprocal dialogue.

The films in the retrospective, which were selected together with the Angolan director Fradique, also take a look at the past and the future. They use music to expose historical injustices, create counter-narratives and retell history(ies). Music, rhythm and movement characterise the image and the narrative. Sound and image become instruments of protest, cultural affirmation and historical reckoning. The films of Bolivian director Kiro Russo - to whom a retrospective is dedicated - also combine historical perspectives, social realities and mythical narratives in a fascinating way.

THE PAST IS NOW is an invitation to reflect on the effects of past actions on our present and to become more aware of our agency in shaping potential futures.